Dungeon Crawler Carl has taken the world by storm in a way that rarely if ever happens with books that don’t have some kind of screen adaptation. Yes, there is a Dungeon Crawler Carl show happening eventually but, in the meantime, there’s still an infinite amount to talk about with the books. For example, at the beginning of book two, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, Carl and Donut are faced with race selection at the start of the third floor. Dungeon Crawler World: Earth offers a LOT of races to choose from, and we only know a few. BUT, out of what we know, what are the best races in Dungeon Crawler Carl? Let’s rank the best ones right now!
10. Caprid
A race both inside the dungeon and out, Caprids are bipedal creatures that most closely resemble Earth goats. While the race doesn’t share a collective mind, they are a herd, which often means they move as one anyway in many scenarios. The IRL Caprids (aka “The Plenty”) are a powerful empire, known for having invented the tunneling system that allows shows like Dungeon Crawler World to air all across the universe. I’m putting them on the list because I love goats. This is the beginning and end of my justification. Things aren’t getting more objective from here, fair warning.
9. Amazonian
Oh Hekla, we hardly knew ye—or your selected race! But, in the immortal words of Steven Universe, “All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman (a giant woman!)” Amazonians are much taller than humans and resemble professional body-builders. While we can only speculate on the stat buffs the Amazonian race bestows, it’s a likely bet that the race comes with significant increases for both Strength and Constitution.
8. Tigran
Okay. I know, I know—the furry jokes are right there. Donut’s made them. Yes, my mental image of Tigran Crawler Daniel Bautista is basically just a Khajiit, a la Skyrim. Still—he’s a f*cking tiger guy! That’s so cool!
7. Changeling
Changelings can switch races to any race they’ve physically touched in the past, with a few caveats. Once shifted, the Changeling in question inherits abilities from the race they’ve transformed into. Most Changelings have total control over this power. Mordecai… doesn’t. But that’s his problem. The most powerful Changelings can shift independent body parts—like giving themselves the wings of a Skyfowl, the fists of an Igneous, and the legs and torso of a Sai. You… probably wouldn’t be able to fly being that heavy, but you would look very impressive!
6. Frost Maiden
The Frost Maiden race is unsurprisingly ice magic-centric. For Crawlers who choose it, they’ll be transformed into a blue-skinned, fairy-like creature with flight capabilities. A great choice for older Crawlers, as we see with Elle McGibbons, the beloved and vulgar ninety-nine-year old woman Carl and Donut meet on the very first floor. Demented as all get out and coming down with a bad case of “natural causes,” choosing the Frost Maiden race gives Elle a new lease on life. Her brain function is completely restored, and ninety-nine never looked so good. Now, whose d**k does she have to suck to get a drink around here?
5. Igneous
Quiet but courageous Crawler Chris Andrews selects this race when he hits the third floor. The Igneous are a towering humanoid race comprised of rocks and lava. They’re walking heaters than can fire lava out of their bodies. The Igneous race can also meld entirely with the earth, moving around unseen underneath the surface, which makes them excellent forward scouts as well as tanks in their own right.
4. Obsidian Butterfly
Obsidian Butterflies are bada**. Gaunt and skull-faced, the Obsidian Butterflies almost look mummified—with that aspect only growing more intense as they level up. They’re wasting and thin, but their four wings are beautiful. They’re ethereal, passing through everyone and everything harmlessly. However, this is often how Obsidian Butterflies cast buffs on their allies, who briefly glow due to the healing/buff.
An Obsidian Butterfly’s wings are Monarch-like, with mixing vivid colors of orange, yellow, red, white, and black. Their wingspan is twelve feet. On the 6th floor, Crawlers who have chosen this race are faced with a choice between evolutionary lines. They must decide between solidifying their wings and gaining true flight, or leave the wings as they are—as a vessel for healing.
3. Changbi Demon
Possibly the most terrifying Crawler race in Dungeon Crawler Carl, Changbi Demons are a force to be reckoned with. When Li Na selects the race on the third floor, she is made taller and thinner. Her skin turns deathly pale, and her brow ridge becomes defined. Two short black horns push up through her hair. Her mouth is stretched to twice the size it once was. She looks scary as f*ck, and her race abilities match. Changbi Demons cause excruciating pain and poisoning whenever they touch someone, including allies. Changbi Demons are immune to acid attacks, can prevent people from healing, and can turn into smoke at will. You do NOT want to piss off a Changbi Demon.
2. Doppelgänger
“If she’s 90% flesh and 10% metal, she can make herself to look like a regular, unarmored human, but what you perceive as her bikini, or her feet, or her hands, can really be the material from the helmet. As long as it’s 10%, and it’s continuous. You can’t break up the item. Also, there’s some elasticity issues with certain enchanted materials, plus certain limits still exist, like she’s not allowed to grow four arms so she can wear forty rings, but you get the idea.” —Mordecai
Similar to the Changeling race, but with a twist. While Changelings can legitimately transform into another race, adopting their various strengths and weaknesses, and at least some of their skillset, Doppelgängers are a bit more complicated. Doppelgängers don’t get the racial properties of the species they portray—because they’re not really turning into said species, they just look like them.
Initially, you might think, “Oh, okay, so… they’re good for disguise, I guess?” That’s what I initially thought too, but no no no. Similar to what Mordecai says, a doppelgänger can be wearing an entire suit of armor, but be made to look like they’re wearing almost nothing at all. It’s unsurprising to learn that Strength and Constitution are the innate proficiencies of this race. Katia, for instance, can transform herself into whatever she wants, so long as she can correctly craft and maintain the form. She was an art professor before the Crawl, so she picks this up pretty quickly.
Only downside? It hurts to change. Katia doesn’t talk about it much, which is probably not a good sign.
1. Cat
“I choose cat. Next.” —Princess Donut
What, did you think it would be something else? As a card-carrying member of the Society for the Eradication of Cocker Spaniels, this was always going to be #1. Choosing any other race would be an outrage.
As the Dungeon Crawler Carl universe continues to expand, there will be even more to discuss, whether it’s races, classes, ships, or just the fact that Carl often has the emotional intelligence of a poorly-baked brick. I can’t wait to see the world open up even more, almost as much as I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, The Beautiful Place. While we wait, there’s the graphic novel retelling of the series, as well as a forthcoming canon side story about Florin, the Crocodilian. Much like with Dungeon Crawler World in canon, our universe can’t get enough of Dungeon Crawler Carl.