Project Zomboid: 14 Best Traits, Ranked (2024)

Character creation in Project Zomboid can be complicated for new players. You have to choose negative and positive traits that balance each other out, and you might not be able to pick all the positive perks you would like without some heavy drawbacks.

Finding the best combination of perks that give you a well-rounded character requires experience and knowledge about the hidden details of each trait. If you don't have the time to experiment with different traits and read the wiki about their full descriptions, knowing some of the best options can help you create your character and start bashing zombies' heads in no time.

Updated on January 3, 2024 by Nima Dabirian:Project Zomboid is the type of game that players keep coming back to, whether it's because of new playstyle ideas, new mods, or new updates by the developers. While we still don't have a release date for build 42 of the game, the promised changes and updates are exciting enough to bring us back to the streets of Kentucky, and try some new builds with traits that we might not have tried before.

14 Slow Reader

• -30% reading speed

The Slow Reader trait is one of the most negligible negative effects in single player. You can use fast-forward in the game to reduce the wait time, and enjoy the two free trait points that Slow Reader provides for your character. This can get a bit tedious for higher-level skill books as they normally take longer to finish.

If you like to play Project Zomboid on multiplayer servers, then you might want to avoid Slow Reader as you can't use fast-forward in this case. Considering how effective skill books are in leveling up various skills in the game, Slow Reader is a real hindrance in multiplayer Project Zomboid.

13 Adrenaline Junkie

• +0.2 to +0.25 base speed at strong or extreme panic

When you don't have the appropriate weapons and tools to deal with large hordes of zombies, running away might be your only option. To easily and successfully lose the walking dead on your trail, Adrenaline Junkie is a great trait to have in these situations.

This trait is most effective early on in the game, since you get less panicked as you survive the apocalypse, but that is typically when you most need it. An incredible combo is to pair this trait with the Agrophobic trait that increases your panic level while outside, giving you the speed boost even when there are no zombies around.

12 Thin-Skinned

• +27% chance of receiving wounds
• +33% chance of clothes getting damaged by trees

While a dangerous trait for beginner players, Thin-Skinned grants you eight extra points to spend on positive traits. This one raises the chance of zombie attacks breaking the skin — something which might sound like a bad idea at first, but is a popular choice among experienced players.

Whenever you are attacked by a zombie, you have made a mistake. Unless you are playing with sprinters, you should easily out-maneuver zombies just at your normal walking speed. If you play cautiously enough, you will rarely have zombies catch up to you, making this trait a worthwhile addition to your character.

11 Organized

• +30% increased container inventory capacity, including car seats

One of the most devastating moodles for your character is the Overburdened moodle. Carrying too much while hordes of undead are on your tail is a quick way of joining them in search of brains.

Any trait that raises your carry capacity is worth considering, but Organized, costing six points, is one of the best options for your character. This trait increases the capacity of every container, from backpacks to car seats, by 30 percent, allowing you to carry more loot to your base without slowing you down.

10 Slow Healer

• Recovers slowly from injuries and illness
• Increased severity of injuries, does not apply to exercise fatigue

Just like Thin-Skinned, if you are new at the game, you might want to skip this trait. But if you are experienced enough to not get hit by the zombies, you will rarely be injured, so the slower healing rate is less likely to affect your gameplay.

Slow Healer gives you an extra six points to spend on traits, while increasing the severity of your wounds and the time it takes for them to heal. This is basically free points if you play single-player, as you can spend an extra day in your base and speed up the game until you are fully healed — then get back to killing zombies.

9 Outdoorsman

• -90% chance of catching a cold
• -99% chance of getting scratched or lacerated while moving through trees
• Starts campfires with notched planks faster

For only two points, Outdoorsman gives you so many features that are not even mentioned in the original description. With this trait, you are 90 percent less likely to catch a cold, you will never get wounded while moving through trees, and you get radius bonuses to your foraging skill.

For the low cost that this trait has, and all the benefits it offers you, it's an easy choice to include in most characters you create. You won't have to worry about being wet or cold, and you can safely lose zombies in the woods without risk of getting injured.

8 Smoker

• Stress and unhappiness decreases after smoking tobacco
• Unhappiness rises when tobacco is not smoked

Smoking is very bad for you in real life, but in Project Zomboid, your characters don't live long enough for the side effects to affect them anyway. This trait gives you four points, and the only thing you need to do is smoke one or two cigarettes every day.

You can find plenty of cigarettes and lighters in offices and gas stations, so running out is not a concern. And even if you are having a hard time finding them in your run, reading books and magazines can reduce the stress and unhappiness caused by this trait.

7 Lucky

• +10% chance of finding rare loot

While being lucky in a post-apocalyptic world might seem bittersweet, it can still prolong your survival. The Lucky trait seems mysterious if you don't know what it does exactly, and four points might seem a lot to consider.

This trait gives you a higher chance of finding rare loot, such as sledgehammers, katanas, guns and ammo, and important recipe magazines. It will help your character gather their necessary tools and weapons much earlier in the run, and establish a strong base among the infected.

6 Claustrophobic

• Gets panicked while indoors
• Doesn't have an effect in rooms larger than 70 tiles

Claustrophobic is a negative trait that might seem hard to deal with at first. most of our looting takes place inside buildings and houses, and the safest place to spend the night is inside a safe base. but you won't be able to sleep if you have the panicked condition, making the trait seem more difficult to handle than it truly is.

You can sleep in small rooms if you take beta blockers or sleeping pills to help with the panic. In addition, some of the best base locations in the game, such as schools and firehouses, have large enough rooms that don't affect claustrophobic characters. While this trait limits certain aspects of your playstyle, if you can overcome these challenges, the four extra trait points are well worth it.

5 Gymnast

• +1 Lightfooted
• +2 Nimble

Nimble is one of the most crucial combat skills in Project Zomboid, and one of the hardest skills to level up. While traits that only give skill points are typically less popular, Nimble is important enough to justify the three trait points cost of the Gymnast trait.

With the starting points in nimble skill, you will have a much easier time kiting groups of zombies, and you can level up the skill much faster. In combination with occupations such as Police Officer or Burglar, your nimble skill will be high enough to safely kite zombies without fear of getting attacked from the very beginning of the game.

4 Weak Stomach

• +100% higher chance of having food illness
• Food illness lasts longer

It's a bad idea to eat rotten food or unknown mushrooms in Project Zomboid, and it's easy to find a sustainable source of food in the game through farming, fishing, or trapping. So, once you establish your base and don't need to worry about food, the Weak Stomach trait becomes three free points.

This isn't a huge number of points, but among all the negative traits in the game, Weak Stomach is one of the easiest to handle. It doesn't affect your character's performance in any way, and once you get to Cooking level seven, you can even use rotten foods in other recipes without the risk of food poisoning.

3 Athletic

• Faster running speed
• -60% endurance loss when running or sprinting
• +4 Fitness

Strength and Fitness are two of the most important skills in Project Zomboid, and they are the hardest to train. They both affect your character's physical attributes, with Strength increasing your carry capacity, your melee damage, and your chance to push zombies down.

While Strong is also an amazing perk costing ten points, if you want to choose between these two, Athletic is the more reliable option. Fitness increases your stamina recovery, and determines how long you can fight without getting tired. Getting exhausted in the middle of a fight can quickly trap you in an inescapable situation, and high Fitness can prevent you from such deaths.

2 High Thirst

• +100% increased thirst

High Thirst is the easiest negative trait to manage in Project Zomboid, and it gives you an impressive six extra points to spend on positive traits. All you need to do to overcome the drawback of this trait is carry an extra water bottle in your bag.

While water will shut off during the first month of the game, it's easy to find unlimited sources of water through rivers, lakes, or rain. Just remember to boil the water from such sources before drinking, and you'll never even notice this trait affecting your game.

1 Fast Learner

• +30% XP for all skills except Fitness and Strength

The most time-consuming part of Project Zomboid is training your various skills. With skill books, the Life and Living TV channel, and VHS tapes, you can train your skills much faster — but with the Fast Learner trait, you will increase all these experience gains even further.

At six points, this trait increases all experience gains except for Strength and Fitness by 30 percent, and this increase stacks with any other bonuses you might have from occupations, traits, or skill books.