Traits

The character creation screen.

Traits are modifiers, positive and negative, available to players during Sandbox Mode. Some traits are chosen individually (indicated here as 'positive' and 'negative' traits) and players are also given one or more traits, also known as profession perks, associated with his/her choice of profession.

The individually-chosen traits must have a sum value of 0 (or less) in order to start the game, so if the player chooses positive traits, they are also required to choose negative ones to compensate.

Traits categorized as "opposites" cannot be taken simultaneously (e.g. "Graceful" and "Clumsy").

Occupation-oriented traits (perks) cost no points, but the player must select one (and only one) profession.

List of Traits

Name	Type	Opposite	Points	Notes	Effect
Agoraphobic	Negative	-	+4	"Gets panicked when outdoors"
Athletic	Positive	Overweight	-6	"Faster running speed; Can run for longer without tiring"
Axe Man	Profession	-	-	"Doubles speed breaking through doors with an axe and faster axe swing."
Brave	Positive	Cowardly	-3	"Less prone to becoming panicked."
Claustrophobic	Negative	-	+4	"Gets panicked when indoors"	Moving from outdoors to indoors or moving between rooms causes sharp increase in the player's panic level.
Clumsy	Negative	Graceful	+1	"Makes more noise when moving."	Zombies can hear the player from a farther distance than normal.
Cowardly	Negative	Brave	+2	"Especially prone to becoming panicked."
Eagle-Eyed	Positive	Short-Sighted	-6	"Faster visibility fade; Higher visibility arc"
Graceful	Positive	Clumsy	-4	"Makes less noise when moving"	The player must get closer to a zombie in order to get its attention.
Handy	Profession	-	-	"Decreases required time in order to barricade doors and windows."
Hardened Drinker	Positive	Light Drinker	-3	"Doesn't get drunk easily"
Hard of Hearing	Negative	Keen Hearing	+2	"Smaller perception radius; Smaller hearing range"	The player must be closer to the source of a sound in order to hear it.
Hearty Appetite	Negative	Light Eater	+2	"Needs to eat more regularly"
Hypochondriac	Negative	-	+4	"May develop infection symptoms without having been infected."	The player may get the queasy moodle and any subsequent moodles without having been bitten or scratched.
Keen Hearing	Positive	Hard of Hearing	-6	"Larger perception radius"	The player can hear sounds from farther away than usual.
Light Drinker	Negative	Hardened Drinker	+2	"Gets drunk quickly"
Light Eater	Positive	Hearty Appetite	-3	"Needs to eat less regularly"
Marksman	Profession	-	-	"Improved gun accuracy and quicker reload."
Night Owl	Profession	-	-	"Requires little sleep. and Stays extra alert even when sleeping."
Outdoorsman	Profession	-	-	"Not effected by harsh weather conditions and Extra orienteering ability."
Overweight	Negative	Athletic	+3	"Slower running speed; Tire from running more easily"	The player will run slower and will reach exhaustion more quickly than usual.
Prone to Illness	Negative	Resilient	+4	"More prone to disease; Faster rate of zombification"
Resilient	Positive	Prone to Illness	-3	"Less prone to disease; Slower rate of zombification"
Short-Sighted	Negative	Eagle-Eyed	+2	"Smaller view distance; Slower visibility fade"
Strong	Positive	Weak	-6	"Extra knockback from melee weapons; Increased carrying weight"	Zombies and NPCs will be pushed back more when hit by the player with a melee weapon. The player will also be able to carry more weight before becoming encumbered.
Thick Skinned	Profession	-	-	"Less chance of scratches or bites breaking the skin."
Weak	Negative	Strong	+4	"Less knockback from melee weapons; Decreased carrying weight"	Zombies and NPCs will be pushed back less when hit by the player with a melee weapon. The player will also be unable to carry as much weight before becoming encumbered.

Recommendations

Of course, what traits you pick are your choice, but some are more useful in certain situations than others. For instance, being "strong" will enable you to carry more items and hit a little harder, making it better for hauling trips while "light eater" is good for saving up your food supply.

So if you plan to live for a rather monotonous but long time (measured in years), light eater and athletic are essential, while light-drinker, brooding, short-tempered, and clumsy can be used without too much trouble.

If you plan on living for an exhilarating but a medium amount of time (measured in months), you should get strong while trading light-drinker and short-tempered.

See Also

• Professions
• Skills