1) Strong (Best for fighting better)

People hoping to fight more effectively in Project Zomboid should pick the strong trait.

Strong is one of the most expensive traits available when creating your character. Though it’s well worth costing 10 points, since it gives your character an additional 4 levels of strength, and +40% knock back. This will make it easier for your character to kill zombies and push them onto the ground if you need to.

Why Strong is Great:

• 4 levels of strength give you a great starting point in the early game
• Additional knock back makes it easier to fight more zombies, since you can shove them better
• You’re able to carry more loot the stronger you are

Trait Name full details:

• +4 strength
• +40% knock back
• Increased carrying capacity

2) Thick-Skinned (Best for surviving fights)

If you tend to have zombies sneak up and bite you, thick-skinned will be perfect.

Thick-skinned is another pretty expensive trait, with a price tag of 8 points. Simply put, thick skinned makes it less likely for zombie bite attempts to actually break the skin. This, on top of having good armor, will make zombie attacks more forgiving. 

Why Thick Skinned is Great:

• Scratches and bites are less likely to break the skin
• Makes fighting more safe, since you’re not as likely to be infected
• Clothes are also less likely to be torn by zombies

Thick Skinned full details:

• Increases chance of not being bitten or scratched by 1.3
• Leveling up with melee weapons will increase the chances of not being bitten
• Clothes are less likely to be torn, with a 1 in 13 chance they will be torn

3) Fast Learner (Best for leveling up skills)

Do you find yourself wishing your character could just level up faster? Then you should choose the fast learner trait!

Fast learner is a great trait for anyone playing Project Zomboid. Fast learner only costs 6 points. It makes your character earn 130% more XP! This drastically decreases how long it takes to level up skills, which will let you work faster on whatever you’re trying to do.

Why Fast Learner is Great:

• Increases XP earned
• Decreases the time it takes to level up skills
• Saves you time since you don’t need to grind as much

Fast Learner full details:

• 130% XP buff
• The only skills that don’t get the buff are fitness and strength

4) Brave (Best for not panicking)

It can get really annoying when a character who’s been fighting zombies for months skill panics at the sight of more than five zombies. The brave trait helps avoid that a bit more.

When your character gets panicked, it’s never a good thing. This is because being panicked actually decreases the amount of damage your character can do! Making fighting even more dangerous than it already is. The brave trait reduces your character’s panic by 70%. This will help avoid panicking, and lets you deal great damage!

Why Brave is Great:

• Reduces panic
• Avoiding panic moodles allows your character to deal more damage

Brave full details:

• Panic reduced by 70%
• Your character can still get panicked by nightmares

5) Athletic (Best for getting stronger faster)

If you can pair athletic with strength, it will make your character a real powerhouse without needing to level fitness or strength much at all!

The athletic trait will make fighting, and even running away from fights, a lot easier early in your game. The trait costs 10 points, tying it with strong for most expensive. Athletics will allow your character to run faster and for longer periods of time, and increases your fitness level.

Why Athletic is Great:

• Increases fitness level
• Your character can run faster
• Your character can run for longer periods of time

Athletic full details:

• +4 fitness
• +20% running speed
• -20% endurance loss from running

6) Outdoorsman (Best for foraging)

A cheap trait that packs a punch when it comes to playing as more of a forager and hunter.

If you tend to play a character who lives in one of the hunting cabins or lodges in Project Zomboid, you’re probably already familiar with the outdoorsman trait. It only costs 2 points! Outdoorsman makes your character less likely to get sick from being outside in poor weather, which is great since you should avoid your character getting sick at all times. The trait also decreases the chances of being scratched by tree branches while in the woods.

Why Outdoorsman is Great:

• Less likely to get sick
• Less likely to be scratched by branches
• Reduces how long it takes to start a campfire

Outdoorsman full details:

• 10% chance of getting sick
• Between 1 and 1.25% chance of being scratched by trees
• Increases the radius of foraging in search mode

7) Lucky (Best for looting)

If you want to increase your chances at finding better loot, then lucky is the trait for you!

For how good the lucky trait is, it isn’t very expensive, only costing 4 points. Lucky increases your chances at finding rare loot. It also decreases your chances of failing when you’re trying to repair your weapons. 

Why Lucky is Great:

• Makes your character more likely to find rare loot
• You're less likely to fail when repairing weapons, which saves you precious resources
• Increases foraging radius

Lucky full details:

• +10% chance at finding rare loot
• -5% chance of failing repairs
• +1 tile while in search mode

8) Organized (Best for keeping your base organized)

If you find yourself filling up your inventory and containers too fast for your liking, you need the organized trait.

The organized trait costs 6 points. The trait drastically increases both your carrying capacity and how much containers can hold. This lets you loot more while exploring, and lets your containers on your base hold more items.

Why Organized is Great:

• Increases carrying capacity
• Containers can hold more
• You can loot longer and gather more

Organized full details:

• 130% carrying capacity

10) Inconspicuous (Best for avoiding fights)

If you prefer avoiding fights when you can, then you’ll need the inconspicuous trait.

Knowing when to fight and when to run away is super important to surviving in Project Zomboid. Inconspicuous costs 4 points, and makes zombies less likely to spot you. Avoiding being seen lets you avoid fights easier.

Why Inconspicuous is Great:

• Reduces chance of zombies seeing you
• Lets you avoid fights that you don’t want

Inconspicuous full details:

• -50% chance for zombies to spot you

11) Fit (Best for leveling fitness)

While fit isn’t better than other fitness related traits, it’s a lot cheaper.

If you don’t have the points available for other traits, fit is a great option. It only costs 2 points, and will increase your character’s fitness. Starting with at least a couple levels of fitness and strength is always great.

Why Fit is Great:

• Increased fitness level
• Better endurance lets you run and fight longer
• Increased attack speed

Fit full details:

• +2 fitness

 12) Cat’s Eyes (Best for seeing better)

Going out at night in Project Zomboid is pretty impossible without the cat’s eye trait.

Cat’s eye allows your character to see a lot better at night. This will let you loot into the night, since you’ll still be able to see any zombies lurking around. Cat’s eye only costs 2 points, which is great for how useful it is.

Why Cat’s Eye is Great:

• Increases sight at night
• Makes it easier to forage at night

Cat’s Eye full details:

• +20% better vision at night
• Ignores darkness by 20% when in search mode

13) Light Eater (Best for needing less food)

If you want to save your food, then light eater is a good trait.

Food is obviously a super important resource. Having a character that doesn’t need to eat as much will save you some food in the long run. The light eater trait reduces how much your character needs to eat to feel full, and costs 4 points.

Why Light Eater is Great:

• Your character doesn’t need to eat as much
• You’ll save more food, which will make your food last longer since your character doesn’t eat as much

Light Eater full details:

• 75% hunger

14) Low Thirst (Best for needing less water)

Something slightly harder to get once the power goes out is water.

Low thirst will reduce how much your character needs to drink. Like light eater, it will save you lots of water since you don’t need to drink as much if you have this trait. Though it is more expensive than light eater, and costs 6 points.

Why Low Thirst is Great:

• Need to drink less water
• Lets you save water

Low Thirst full details:

• 50% thirst

15) Dextrous (Best for looting faster)

If you want to save some time while looting, then use the dexterous skill.

The dexterous skill reduces the amount of time it takes for your character to move items in and out of their inventory. This will speed up looting and organizing your loot into containers. Dexterous is also cheap, and only costs 2 points.

Why Dexterous is Great:

• Saves time looting
• Saves time organizing loot into your base

Dexterous full details:

• -50% time for transferring inventory

You may also be interested in:

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• [Top 5] Project Zomboid Most Important Skills To Have
• [Top 10] Project Zomboid Most Durable Weapons