The AOC Guide to races and classes lists a short description of the 3 race types, namely the Aquilonians, Cimmerians, and Stygians and the many classes available to them. When creating a character in AOC you will need to choose both a race and a class.

Age of Conan does not have elves, dwarves or other common race types that many otner typical MMORPG's have.All of the races have disadvantages and advantages for all the classes. Cimmerians are known for their skills with a blade while Stygian's are known for their magical capabilities so picking your race carefully is a key aspect as it will help or hinder what class you might choose. 

For the Aquilonians race, the warrior is best suited for either an offensive role or defensive role. Other classes to select from for the race include Assassin, Ranger, Barbarian, Guardian, Dark Templar, Priest of Mitra and Conqueror.

Best suited to the race of Cimmerians include the Ranger, Bear Shaman, Conqueror, Dark Templar, Guardian and Barbarian.

Finally we have the Styfians, which can choose from just about all the mage classes and are the only race capable of being a damage dealing mage. Classes to choose from include, Demonologist, Herald of Xotli, Necromancer, Assassin, Ranger, and the Tempest of Set.

All races have the Ranger class in common and have at least one choice of a mage class to choose from.

Archtypes are split up into four main categories Mages, Priests, Rogues and Soldiers and can be considered as separation of characters types such as damage dealers, healers, tanks and so on.

Also three different class choices exist under each archtype. All classes are different from each other and are not available for every race.

The choices you have to make can be a little overwhelming taking into consideration the complexity of the Age of Conan race and class system. The Age Of Conan Guide provides an in depth analysis of each race and class in detail and assists you make considered decisions for choosing the right character that suits your play styles.