Information regarding the three playable races in Guild Wars 3 is being rolled out step by step.

ArenaNet has been steadily sharing details about the Guild Wars 3 races, including humans, asura, and kodan, via their Steam page since last August. Furthermore, on the 1st, a race spotlight video featuring developer commentary was uploaded to the official YouTube channel.

According to this, humans are not native to Tyria, having migrated from beyond the mists under the guidance of the Six Gods. Over 700 years after settling down, humans have established independent factions all across the world. Examples include the long-tradition-bound Cantha, Elona where commerce and politics thrive, the military state of Ascalon, and the coastline-ruling Margonites. Particularly, Orr is depicted as a new frontier for human factions and a center of magic. Here, a magical spirit known as 'Bael' exists, leading humans to hold diverse perspectives on it.

While there is the Mavenrite Guild attempting to foster civilization's advancement using Bael's magic, the supreme Orrian guild Baelwarden exists to protect Bael and nature. Players start as members of the Baelwarden, experiencing conflict between humanity's ambition chasing progress and the responsibility of guarding nature. This serves as a core narrative highlighting human choices set against the golden age of Orr before it meets its doom.

The second race, the asura, previously inhabited the underground world, but now they appear actively interacting on the surface as well. When their underground expansion failed around 300 BC due to earthquakes and flooding, Joel and Niomi, having witnessed the massive magical energy of Orr, established an outpost called Rata Pten, leading a full-scale advance to the surface.

Enduring countless sacrifices including extreme natural environments and threats from wild beasts, the asura expedition team arrived in Orr and began directly researching Bael's magic. Initially, they clashed with the Baelwarden due to their aggressive research methods, but gradually they accommodated the methods and even joined the guild. Some asura are learning seal-binding weapon technology passed down by human gods, pursuing a grand evolution of the entire race.

The third race, the kodan, are a bear race of the north who serve their creator Koda and guard the balance of nature. Some kodan, who had lived isolated on the Janthir Islands losing their faith for a long period, felt the call of their god once again triggered by a catastrophe that occurred in the Tundra Basin of Orr. Responding to this call, they experienced internal division within the tribe yet moved south to build a new settlement in northwestern Orr.

Upon arriving in Orr, the kodan realized that healing damaged nature and protecting Bael was their mission. The Baelwarden guild, which was initially exclusionary, also shared intentions with the kodan, developing into a solid alliance. Players are tasked with protecting the spirit during a changing era where progress and tradition collide, acting as a kodan who has joined the Baelwarden.