Fallout New Vegas has some of the most in-depth character creation that the series has ever seen, and Traits are a huge part of making your build stand out.
In addition to your SPECIAL stats and other character creation decisions, Traits can drastically alter your character’s abilities and open the door for several unique builds and archetypes. Each Trait offers a powerful bonus like an increased critical hit chance or bonus points to some of your SPECIAL stats, but they come with negative tradeoffs to balance things out. Some of these are more worthwhile than others, so which Traits are the best in Fallout New Vegas?
Which Traits Should You Pick in Fallout New Vegas?
Ultimately, the best Traits for your Fallout New Vegas character depend on the playstyle you have in mind. Before you start thinking about any of that, though, you need to select Wild Wasteland. Don’t ask any questions, just do it. This adds special wacky encounters throughout the wasteland that you’d miss otherwise. They’re fun little pop culture references and other nods that are sure to bring a smile to your face when patrolling the Mojave.
You can have two total Traits in Fallout New Vegas, so you’re left with one slot after taking Wild Wasteland. If you’re going for a pistol or SMG build, then Fast Shot is a great choice. It makes your guns fire 20% faster with a 20% penalty to accuracy, but if you’re going to be up close and personal, it’s not a huge deal.
On the other end of the spectrum, snipers and long-range fighters should choose Trigger Discipline which does the opposite, slowing weapons down by 20% but making them 20% more accurate.
Another great all-around choice is Four Eyes, which grants you +2 Perception when wearing glasses. The tradeoff is that you have a permanent -1 debuff to Perception, but glasses are so easy to come by in the Mojave wasteland that you’ll basically never have to suffer from that.
Finally, one of the strongest Traits in Fallout New Vegas is Good Natured. This gives you +5 to Speech, Medicine, Repair, Science, and Barter at the cost of -5 to Energy Weapons, Explosives, Guns, Melee Weapons, and Unarmed. Speech and the other diplomacy skills are so powerful in New Vegas that it’s worth the tradeoff, however. You can make up for a lower Guns skill by just being better at the game. You can’t make up for a lower Speech skill no matter what you do.
No matter what you choose, don’t be afraid of the negative penalties of the Traits in Fallout New Vegas. They make the game fun, and they’re part of the reason why people love the game so much. If you know other people who love New Vegas, then why don’t you give the Fallout New Vegas multiplayer mod a shot?
