Tier List ranking the best positive traits in Project Zomboid. Here’s how you can best spend those traits points when building your character.
Positive Traits Tier List
| Tier | Trait | Points | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| S |  Fast Learner | -6 | 130% XP for all skills except Strength and Fitness. |
| S |  Strong | -10 | +4 Strength, 140% melee damage. |
| S |  Athletic | -10 | +4 Fitness. 40% running/sprinting endurance loss. |
| A |  Keen Hearing | -6 | 200% perception radius. Zombies that approach from behind will be visible much earlier. |
| A |  Dextrous | -2 | 50% inventory transferring time. |
| A |  Brave | -4 | 30% panic except for night terrors and phobias. |
| A |  Stout | -6 | +2 Strength |
| A |  Fit | -6 | +2 Fitness. |
| B |  Amateur Mechanic | -5 | +1 Mechanics, can repair standard and heavy-duty vehicles. |
| B |  Baseball Player | -4 | +1 Long Blunt |
| B |  Handy | -8 | +1 Carpentry, +1 Maintenance, faster and +100HP to all constructions. |
| B |  Gymnast | -5 | +1 Lightfooted, +1 Nimble |
| B |  Runner | -4 | +1 Sprinting |
| B |  Thick Skinned | -8 | Multiplies the chance of not being injured by a zombie attack by 1.3 |
| B |  Wakeful | -2 | -30% less sleep required |
| B |  Speed Demon | -1 | 200% Gear switching speed, 115% top speed for all vehicles |
| C |  Inconspicuous | -4 | 50% chance of zombies spotting you. |
| C |  Brawler | -6 | +1 Axe, +1 Long Blunt |
| C |  Organized | -6 | 130% capacity for all containers. |
| C |  Cat’s Eyes | -2 | +20% better vision at night. |
| C |  Graceful | -4 | 60% footsteps sound radius. 90% chance to trip while run/sprint vaulting a low fence or lunging zombies. |
| C |  Sewer | -4 | +1 Tailoring |
| C |  Hiker | -6 | +1 Foraging, +1 Trapping. |
| D |  Lucky | -4 | +10% chance of finding loot. -5% chance of failing item repairs. |
| D |  Hunter | -8 | +1 Aiming, +1 Short Blade, +1 Sneaking, +1 Trapping. |
| D |  Fast Reader | -2 | 130% reading speed. |
| D |  Outdoorsman | -2 | 10% chance of catching a cold. 1% or 1.25% chance of getting scratched/lacerated while Walking or Running through trees. |
| D |  Angler | -4 | +1 Fishing Knows how to make and fix a fishing rod. |
| D |  Former Scout | -6 | +1 First Aid, +1 Foraging. |
| D |  Fast Healer | -6 | Injuries have less severity. |
| F |  Light Eater | -4 | 75% hunger. |
| F |  Low Thirst | -6 | 50% thirst. |
| F |  Gardener | -4 | +1 Farming Knows mildew and flies cure. |
| F |  Cook | -6 | +2 Cooking Knows all the cooking recipes. |
| F |  Adrenaline Junkie | -8 | Increases walking, running and sprinting speed during Strong or Extreme Panic. |
| F |  Herbalist | -6 | Able to find herbal medicines, make poultices from them, and identify poisonous wild food. |
| F |  Iron Gut | -3 | 50% chance of food illness. Food illness lasts shorter. |
| F |  Resilient | -4 | 75% zombification progression rate, 45% chance of catching a cold, 80% cold strength and 50% cold progression speed. |
| F |  Eagle Eyed | -6 | Character has a wider field of view. |
| F |  First Aider | -4 | +1 First Aid |
| F |  Nutritionist | -4 | See the nutritional values of any food. |
S-Tier
First of all you’ll notice the best traits in Zomboid are ones that give Strength, Fitness or starting skill points in a useful skill that is typically difficult to level up.
Strong, Athletic, Stout and Fit are some of the best traits in Zomboid. They are hard to level and impact essential character ability including melee damage, attack speed, block chance, endurance and carry weight.
A big part of Zomboid is leveling skills. Making Fast learner an essential for any build.
A-Tier
Zomboid is a looting game so you’ll be transferring items all the time making Dextrous a very good trait for only 2 points. A must have in multiplayer where you can’t fast forward.
Unless you’re a Veteran you’re going to have to deal with panic. The Brave trait is a very good quality of life improvement for any combat build.
Your back is vulnerable, you have limited vision and have an increased chance of being bitten. The additional perception radius from Keen Hearing gives you more time to react.
B-Tier
These traits typically provide starting skill points for useful skills. Again making use of that bonus xp.
These include Amateur Mechanic (Mechanics – very useful to level), Baseball Player (Long Blunt – one of best melee weapon types), Handy (Carpentry, Maintenance – expensive but you get 2 very good skills), Gymnast (Nimble – great for melee combat) and Runner (Sprinting – a hard to level skill).
Thick Skinned is potentially life saving however its a bit expensive at 8 points. Wakeful is useful in single player but you’d probably rather have points in useful skills.
Speed Demon is the only 1 point skill. Pretty decent as it can help you run down zombies even with slower vehicles.
C-Tier
Inconspicuous is very good for a stealth build however is just overall useful for any build.
Brawler is nice as it gives points in two very good melee weapons. However you probably don’t need any more levels in Axe as a Lumberjack and are probably better off just picking up 1 point in Long Blunt with the cheaper Baseball Player trait.
Organized increases capacity of all containers, this includes your backpacks. Very nice to have but its more of a luxury as you eventually will just store loot in your base.
Cat’s Eyes is a decent trait, but if you manage your sleep well you will just sleep through the night.
Graceful is great for sneaking around but you’re better off picking up Inconspicuous.
Tailoring (Sewer) is a very good skill to build, however its quite easy to level.
Hiker provides starting skills in Foraging and Trapping, nice skills to have but these are ones more used in later stages of the game.
D-Tier
Lucky provides only 10% increase in loot, its just not much of a difference.
Aiming is an important skill to have if you want to use guns. But Hunter at 8 points you’re better off just playing Veteran or Police Officer.
Fast Reader is probably a B-Tier skill in multiplayer but pretty much useless in single player.
Cold resistance just isn’t that useful making Outdoorsman quite redundant unless you are deciding to play in the wilderness.
Foraging from Former Scout is a decent skill to have but again its more for the later stages of the game. At 6 points you would much rather take Hiker as First Aid is pretty much useless.
Generally you’ll be wanting to just avoid any injury, making Fast Healer pretty low tier too.
F-Tier
Alright now for the traits to avoid. These offer little to no value and are just a waste of points.
You’ll have plenty of fresh food and water making Light Eater and Low Thirst pretty useless. But at least they provide some benefit.
Farming and Cooking aren’t really skills you need starting points in.
Adrenaline Junkie is very expensive (8 points) provides some benefit however at 8 points its just such a waste of points. The only time you’d take this is if you are making a panic build character.
Herbalist trait can be gained from reading The Herbalist magazine, no need to spend points here.
Iron Gut is completely pointless, you shouldn’t ever have a need to eat rotten food.
Resilient only delays your character from dying. Once you get bitten its over anyway…
Eagle Eyed doesn’t make a noticeable difference to vision, First Aid isn’t a skill you want to level and as for Nutritionist well you don’t need to micro manage your macros in this game.
Check out the Negative Traits Tier List.
