There is a wide range of races that players can choose from when building their characters in Dungeons & Dragons. Every race offers its own special abilities that a character wouldn't have otherwise, and players can express themselves and their character through the race they select.
However, while every race is useful in their own right, there are some races in the game that are incredibly popular, while others are more frequently slept on. So, we're going to shine a light on some of the most underappreciated and underrated races in D&D that offer more than some players may expect.
10 Loxodon
Appearing in the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, Loxodons are a large elephant-like race with high constitution.
Though they have advantage against being charmed or frightened, natural armor, and can lift twice a normal character's carrying capacity, one of the biggest appeals of playing a Loxodon are their trunks. With five feet of reach, a Loxodon's trunk can lift a number of pounds equal to five times the character's strength score, allowing it to function like a third arm!
9 Satyr
Toting a high charisma boost, Satyrs appear in Mythic Odysseys of Theros and bring a plethora of useful abilities to the table. With an above-average movement speed of 35, Satyrs have improved jumping length and height.
Additionally, they gain proficiency in performance, persuasion, and an instrument of a player's choice. One of the most consistently helpful features of a Satyr is the magical resistance that allows it to make all saves against spells and magical effects at advantage.
8 Rock Gnome
Rock Gnomes are a subrace of Gnomes that appear in the Player's Handbook and have toted abilities akin to that of an Artificer well before the Artificer class was added to 5th Edition.
Like all Gnomes, Rock Gnomes have Darkvision and advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves against magic. The defining trait of a Rock Gnome specifically is the Tinker ability that allows a Gnome to spend an hour creating a clockwork device. These devices range from fire starters to mechanical moving toys that can potentially be used to scout for hidden traps!
7 Vedalken
Like Loxodons, Vedalken are a race that can be found within the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. Blue-skinned hairless humanoids, Vedalken are traditionally quite intelligent and are known to be precise.
Vedalken gain the benefit of having advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws, and gain a proficiency in a tool of their choice as well as a player's choice of Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Performance, or Sleight of Hand. Whenever a Vedalken makes a check with one of these proficiencies, they add an additional d4, pairing extraordinarily well with a Rogue's expertise.
6 Goblin
Though Goblins are most often associated with monsters, they have access to numerous great abilities. Firstly, their Nimble Escape ability allows classes other than Rogues to hide and disengage as a bonus action, opening up numerous unique build possibilities.
Additionally, being small-sized, Goblins' Fury of the Small ability allows them to deal additional damage equal to their level once per short rest to a creature that is larger than them. As the majority of monsters a party would fight are likely to be larger than small-sized, this is a very easy way for a character to squeeze in some extra damage.
5 Triton
Tritons tend to get a bad rap for having aquatic-oriented abilities that are frequently too niche to be useful. Despite this, Tritons still have a great deal to offer, even if a campaign is far from any major body of water.
Having access to Darkvisionn and a resistance to cold damage, Tritons notably gain access to three spells that they can cast once per long rest: Fog Cloud, Gust of Wind, and Wall of Water.
4 Shifter
Appearing in Eberron: Rising From The Last War, Shifters are currently the playable race that is the closest to playing as a lycanthrope. The primary racial feature of a Shifter is its namesake ability of Shifting.
As a bonus action, a Shifter can undergo a transformation that lasts for one minute, gaining temporary HP and additional traits such as improved movement or a higher AC that are dictated by a Shifter's subrace.
3 Firbolg
Half-giants that are well attuned with nature, Firbolg are a criminally underrated race that offer several useful abilities that nearly any class could benefit from. Able to cast Detect Magic and Disguise Self at will once per short rest, Firbolgs also have the stellar capability of being able to turn invisble for a full round as a bonus action.
To top it all off, they have the ability to communicate with beasts and plants, and even have a doubled carrying capacity, much like a Loxodon!
2 Yuan-Ti Pureblood
Yuan-Ti Purebloods are a race of snake-like humans that happen to have some of the best defensive racial features of any race in D&D. While they don't have natural armor, they have advantage on all saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and are completely immune to all poison damage and the poison condition.
As if these perks weren't beneficial enough, Yuan-Ti Purebloods have Darkvision and can naturally wield magics such as the Poison Spray cantrip, Animal Friendship (only targeting snakes), and Suggestion.
1 Kobold
While Kobolds are often viewed as one of the weakest monsters that a party can encounter, they are one of the most exceptional playable races in D&D's 5th Edition.
With a Pack Tactics ability that allows them to make all of their attacks at advantage as long as the target is within five feet of one of the Kobold's allies. Kobolds can even provide their allies with advantage on their attack rolls by making a distraction. Between their numerous means of allowing themselves and their allies to attack at advantage, Kobolds can lead to a party having a significantly improved damage output.