Best Traits and List of Traits

The different traits available in Fallout New Vegas (FNV) vary in viability and strength. Read on to see a list of all available traits, a tier list of all the base game traits, the tier list explanations, criteria, and what traits are!

List of Traits

Trait	Overview	Code
Built to Destroy	Buff: 3% more Critical Chance Debuff: 15% more Weapon CND Decay	00137B02
Fast Shot	Buff: Guns and Energy Weapons fire 20% faster and require 20% less AP for V.A.T.S.. Debuff: Guns and Energy Weapons are 20% less accurate	00135EC7
Four Eyes	Buff: +2 Perception with glasses Debuff: -1 Perception without glasses	00135EC4
Good Natured	Buff: +5 to Barter, Medicine, Repair, Science, and Speech Debuff: -5 to Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee Weapons, Explosives, and Unarmed	00137AFE
Heavy Handed	Buff: 20% more melee and unarmed damage Debuff: 60% less melee and unarmed critical damage	00135EC5
Kamikaze	Buff: +10 Action Points Debuff: -2 Damage Threshold and -15% Damage Resistance.	00135F05
Loose Cannon	Buff: 30% more speed to thrown weapons Debuff: 25% less range with thrown weapons	00164ED1
Small Frame	Buff: +1 Agility Debuff: 25% more limb damage	00135EC6
Trigger Discipline	Buff: Guns and Energy Weapons are 20% more accurate, including V.A.T.S. Debuff: Guns and Energy Weapons fire 20% slow and require 20% more AP for V.A.T.S..	00135EC8
Wild Wasteland	Buff: Additional content and references Debuff: Replaces normal content	000ED568

Best Traits Tier List

S Tier	Fast Shot	Trigger Discipline	-
A Tier	Good Natured	Built to Destroy	Wild Wasteland
B Tier	Heavy Handed	Loose Cannon	-
C Tier	Kamikaze	Small Frame	-
D Tier	Four Eyes	-	-

Note: Press on the trait for a more detailed explanation of the tier placements.

Best Traits are Fast Shot and Trigger Discipline

The best traits in Fallout New Vegas, at least in the base game, are Fast Shot and Trigger Discipline! These two traits benefit a specific tree of weapons, making them excel further.

Fast Shot makes accurate weapons deal more damage while maintaining accuracy. Trigger Discipline helps guns with a high rate of fire be accurate, helping you hit opponents consistently!

However, keep in mind that you cannot combine these two traits as they will cancel out the positives but result in you having both debilitating side effects.

Tier List Explanation

Fast Shot

Trait	Description
Fast Shot	While using guns and energy weapons, you fire 20% more quickly but your shots are 20% less accurate.

Fast Shot is in the S-Tier since it is a complete damage boost for all weapons that utilize this perk. Fast Shot excels with close-range accurate weapons with low fire rates. Examples such as pistols and hunting rifles turn even more deadly when paired with this perk.

Fast Shot also reduces AP costs for V.A.T.S. at the cost of accuracy. Getting that extra shot in can make the difference!

Trigger Discipline

Trait	Description
Trigger Discipline	While using guns and energy weapons, you fire 20% more slowly but are 20% more accurate.

Like Fast Shot, Trigger Discipline is in the S-Tier. Trigger Discipline helps amp up fast weapons such as assault rifles and shotguns by increasing their ability to hit shots further away. If you are also interested in long-ranged fights with snipes, this is the trait for you.

While the cost of V.A.T.S. will be higher, they will now consistently find their mark, which hits for a ton of damage!

Good Natured

Trait	Description
Good Natured	You're Good Natured at heart, more prone to solving problems with your mind than violence. You gain +5 to Barter, Medicine, Repair, Science and Speech, but you have -5 to Energy Weapons, Explosives, Guns, Melee Weapons, and Unarmed.

Good Natured increases the pacifist skills of Speech, Medicine, Repair, Science, and Barter by 5 points at the cost of giving you -5 on most combat-oriented skills.

While Good Natured may feel like it neutralizes your offensive capabilities, this is not the case since you will rely on a select weapon category for most of the game. The -5 is a small fraction compared to +25 in other stats, making the trait a net positive!

Built to Destroy

Trait	Description
Built to Destroy	The Flamer that burns twice as bright burns half as long. All weapons have +3% chance to critically hit, but weapon condition decays 15% faster.

Built to Destroy gives you a 3% increase in critical chance at the cost of your weapon condition deteriorating faster is a small price to pay. There are multiple means to repair your equipment, but a single critical changes the tides of battle in your favor.

When paired with weapons with increased critical chance and the Better Criticals perk, you will blow the enemy's brains out in a millisecond!

How to Repair Weapons and Armor

Wild Wasteland

Trait	Description
Wild Wasteland	Wild Wasteland unleashes the most bizarre and silly elements of post-apocalyptic America. Not for the faint of heart or the serious of temperament.

The Wild Wasteland trait is a bit quirky and does not affect your builds, but it provides additional content for you to access. More often than not, this includes items that can help you in a way, further adding to the fun aspect.

Aside from the fun aspect, the Wild Wasteland also has a guaranteed encounter that replaces the Gauss Rifle with the Alien Blaster, an energy weapon that obliterates enemies quickly!

Alien Blaster Location, Ammo, and ID

Heavy Handed

Trait	Description
Heavy Handed	Your melee and unarmed attacks do more damage, but less critical hit damage.

Planning to do a melee build that does not revolve around criticals? Heavy Handed is a must since it gives 20% more damage to melee weapons! However, Heavy Handed is slotted in B-tier since this trait limits the build potential of an already limited weapon category in melee builds.

Loose Cannon

Trait	Description
Loose Cannon	From Frag Grenades to Throwing Spears, you can throw weapons 30% faster at the cost of 25% less range.

Loose Cannon, while a lot of fun, appeals mainly to those trying to do a Grenadier-only build. However, while the speed boosts on throwing grenades of Loose Cannon itself sounds like a positive, it leaves much to be desired in powering up the already niche grenadier build.

Kamikaze

Trait	Description
Kamikaze	You have +10 Action Points but your reckless nature causes you to have -2 Damage Threshold.

While Kamikaze provides a considerable buff to the Courier with +10 additional AP, the downsides towards your defenses are too steep. In exchange for the +10 AP, you will receive more damage as usual.

With a -2 Damage Threshold and -15% Damage Resistance, this trait is not sustainable enough in higher difficulties and stronger enemies.

Small Frame

Trait	Description
Small Frame	Due to your small size, you have +1 AGL but your limbs are more easily crippled.

Small Frame provides you with a permanent +1 to your Agility, which is decent especially if you plan on builds that lean towards Agility. However, Small Frame comes with the cost of having more fragile limbs, which limits you to a more careful approach to combat.

However, other traits give more benefits when in comparison to this trait. Look to get Fast Shot instead if you want a more speedy playstyle!

Four Eyes

Trait	Description
Four Eyes	While wearing any type of glasses, you have +1 PER. Without glasses, you have -1 PER.

Four Eyes is the weakest trait in the game since it only provides you with additional points in Perception. When compared to other traits, Four Eyes feels incomplete and lackluster.

Furthermore, if your glasses break during combat, you will lose one Perception, which can get you in a doozy if you are far from the enemy for V.A.T.S.

Tier List Criteria

Trait Tier Explanation
S Tier	The traits included in the S-Tier are must-haves to start any decent build in Fallout New Vegas. These traits are essential since they help complete or define the build simply because of their benefits.
A Tier	The traits included in the A-Tier are strong additions to most builds but are not quite definitive like those in the S-Tier. These traits, while not essential, support builds by providing additional skills or content.
B Tier	The traits included in the B-Tier are perks that help specific builds but are slightly niche in execution. While strong, they are only useful in certain situations!
C Tier	The traits included in the C-Tier are decent traits that boost certain builds, albeit with downsides that the Courier must play around to fully take advantage of.
D Tier	The traits included in the D-Tier are perks that do not give any benefit at all or actively hurt a build. Avoid taking the traits listed here since there are better options!

What are Traits?

Medical History Turned Stat

Traits are the Courier's previous medical history translated into modifications that enable and hinder them in certain aspects while out in the Wasteland. Traits have positive and negative effects that the Courier has to play around.

Fallout New Vegas Related Guides

Fallout: New Vegas
Walkthrough and Guides Wiki

Fallout: New Vegas Wiki
Story Walkthrough	Side Quests
Weapons	Companions
Tips and Tricks	Interactive Map
SPECIAL	Perks
Skills	Traits
Armor	Power Armor
IDs and Item Codes	Trophies