All 8 Races and Their Traits in Songs of Syx

Songs of Syx is a low fantasy city-builder where you grow a small village into a city-state, then an empire, with vast real-time battles along the way. The game's races, which it calls species, are at the heart of that growth. Each one is good at different work, so the mix you choose shapes how your city grows and how well its people get along.

Amevia

A warm-climate species that works well with fish, eggs, and clay and fights well up close.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Fisheries (125%), Globdien Pastures and Claypits (120%); weaker at farms and most pastures (80%).

Preferred Foods

Fish, eggs and vegetables.

Combat Traits

Strong shock troops: weight 100, offence 1.1, force 60, and pierce damage 0.25, with defence 0.9.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game.

Cretonian

A farming specialist suited to crops and orchards, with weak combat ability.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Farms and Fruit Orchards (125%), Rationmakers (120%) and a small bonus to refining (110%); poor at learning and most crafting.

Preferred Foods

Fruit, vegetables, and bread.

Combat Traits

Weak in combat: weight 72, offence and defence 0.9, and morale 3.0.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game.

Dondorian

A long-lived crafter and soldier that cannot grow its population through births.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Smithies and Jewellers (125%), Carpenters (120%) and most other crafting; also good at mining; poor at farms and pastures.

Preferred Foods

Meat, fish, and mushrooms.

Combat Traits

Strong weight, block, and formation; lower force and weak archery because of their short stature.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game. More arrive only through immigration, since Dondorians cannot reproduce.

Garthimi

A fast-growing insect species built for mining, stonework, and trained infantry.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Mining (125%), hunting, masonry and Balticrawler Breeders (300%); poor at crafting (75%), farming and pastures.

Preferred Foods

Fish and meat.

Combat Traits

Good infantry after training; high dexterity (5), slash damage (0.5), and slash resistance (2), but low force (40) and morale (3.0). They cannot ride War-Beasts.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game. Garthimi reproduce through Garthimi Breeders, and their children mature in one year.

Human

A flexible worker with unique bonuses to research, administration, and knowledge.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Laboratories and Libraries (125%) and all crop farms (110%); the only species with bonuses to Innovation, Administration and Knowledge.

Preferred Foods

Bread, meat, mushrooms, and eggs.

Combat Traits

Average combat stats with no standout strength or weakness. Humans have the lowest Sanity (0.8) and Lawfulness (0.75) of any species.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game.

Tilapi

A fast archer and orchard worker that also excels at pastures and bowmaking.

Available From

Starting species

Strong Jobs

Fruit Orchards and Woodcutters (140%); pastures except Globdien, Bowyers, Balticrawler Breeders and Hunters (120%); poor at all mines (75%).

Preferred Foods

-

Combat Traits

Exceptional archers (bow skill 0.15 versus the 0.1 default); dexterity 6.25 and morale 4.8, but weight 56 and force 40.

Recruitment

Choose at the start of a new game.

Argonosh

A Haven species with a strong shock-cavalry role and little value in city jobs.

Available From

Haven species

Strong Jobs

Very poor at almost every city job (10%); fulfilment barely matters to them except for guarding and secret police work.

Preferred Foods

-

Combat Traits

Shock cavalry: weight 240, force 280, force absorption 160, twice a Human's speed and three times their morale. They wear armour only, so they cannot be archers.

Recruitment

Control an Argonosh Haven, have over 60% of the population worship Shmalor, store more than 20 days of food, reach at least 20% Humidifier fulfilment and a population of at least 500, keep slaves above 10% of the population, and own no Argonosh slaves.

Cantor

A Haven giant with exceptional city-work skill and powerful combat ability.

Available From

Haven species

Strong Jobs

Crafting, refining, woodcutting and mining (200%), plus logistics; somewhat inept at farming and pastures.

Preferred Foods

-

Combat Traits

Very powerful fighters: weight 400, force 340, force absorption 290 and morale 12.

Recruitment

Control a Cantor Haven, have over 60% of the population worship Athuri, reach more than 5% Sculpture fulfilment and a population above 500, and own no Cantor slaves.

Starting Species and Haven Species

Songs of Syx splits its races into two groups. Amevias, Cretonians, Dondorians, Garthimi, Humans and Tilapi can be picked as your starting race when you begin a new game. The race you choose at the start forms the core of your first village, so it's worth knowing what each one does well.

The others, Argonosh and Cantors, are Haven species. You can't start with them. Instead, you'll need to find a Haven and meet its conditions to bring them into your city later.

How to Recruit Argonosh and Cantors From Havens

A Haven is a small enclave of Argonosh or Cantors on the world map. Cantors are mostly found in cold regions, while Argonosh are more widespread and tend to settle in warm climates. Both usually sit in barren, mountainous land, so that's where to start looking.

Capturing a region with a Haven gives you a chance to convince its people to move to your Capital City. The conditions are strict. For both races, they include a population of at least 500, more than 60 percent of your people worshipping the Haven's own god, and no slaves of that same race. Argonosh also need a food stockpile that covers 20 days.

Best Races for Research, Farming and Mining

Humans matter most for research. They are the only race with bonuses for producing Innovation, Administration and Knowledge, and they get boosts when working in Schools and Universities. They're also fairly good farmers, but they have the lowest mental stability and respect for the law of any race, so expect more crime and breakdowns.

For food, Cretonians are the strongest choice, since they excel at agriculture and get bonuses on farming and fruit orchards. Tilapi also do well in orchards and pastures, while Amevias are strong at fishing and clay but rely on other races for vegetables.

For raw materials, Garthimi are among the strongest miners and stonecutters. They're also the only race that can use Balticrawlers, which makes them strong meat producers. Dondorians are good at mining and crafting too, though they're a poor fit for farms. Tilapi are the exception here, since they're unsuited to mining.

Best Races for Combat and Archery

Cantors are the strongest individual fighters in the game, and they're practically unmatched in battle. Argonosh come close as fast shock troops, and they serve as the game's strongest cavalry. That matters because Garthimi can't ride war-beasts.

Tilapi are the archers of the group, and Dondorians make heavy frontline troops. Amevias are formidable shock troops with weaker defence, while Garthimi need training before they become effective infantry. Humans are about average in a fight, and Cretonians are weak fighters, so they're better used for work than war.

How Races Get Along and Grow

Races don't all get along, and the mix in your city affects how smoothly things run. Humans are friendly toward most races, and Dondorians are an especially good match for them. Amevias are openly hostile toward most other races, and Tilapi aren't cooperative with any race at all. Garthimi tolerate only Amevias and Argonosh, though they pair perfectly with Argonosh and won't brawl with them.

Growth works differently across races. Dondorians can't have children, so their numbers only grow through immigration. Garthimi don't reproduce naturally either, and they rely on a Garthimi Breeder to produce young.

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