In the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas, the traits you choose for your character can have a profound impact on your journey. With an extensive list of traits available, each offering unique advantages and drawbacks, selecting the optimal combination is crucial for tailoring your gameplay experience. From enhancing combat prowess to unlocking new abilities, the right traits can empower your character to navigate the treacherous Mojave Desert and overcome its many challenges.
One of the most coveted traits for combat-oriented characters is “Sniper.” This trait grants a significant bonus to critical hit chance while using scoped weapons, making it ideal for taking down enemies from afar. Additionally, the “Gunslinger” trait provides a boost to damage with revolvers and pistols, allowing players to dominate close-quarters engagements. For those seeking a more balanced approach, the “Educated” trait offers a well-rounded stat boost to all skills, enhancing your character’s versatility in various situations.
Beyond combat, traits such as “Barter” and “Speech” open up new avenues for interaction. With a high Barter skill, you can negotiate favorable prices for goods and services, amassing wealth or acquiring rare items. The Speech trait, on the other hand, allows you to persuade NPCs more effectively, potentially avoiding conflicts or gaining access to restricted areas. By carefully considering your character’s build and playstyle, you can craft the perfect combination of traits to conquer the Mojave Desert and leave an indelible mark on its unforgiving landscape.
Skilled Hunter
The Skilled Hunter trait is an excellent choice for those looking to maximize their hunting and survival skills in the harsh Mojave Wasteland. This trait grants several significant advantages that can greatly enhance your gameplay experience.
Increased Damage to Animals
With the Skilled Hunter trait, you deal 10% more damage to all animals in the game. This bonus is particularly useful against larger and more dangerous creatures, such as Deathclaws or Cazadors. By increasing your damage output, you can take down these formidable foes more quickly and efficiently.
Increased Sneak Attack Damage against Animals
The Skilled Hunter trait also boosts your sneak attack damage against animals by 10%. This means that you can deal even more damage to unsuspecting prey, making it easier to take them down with a single shot. This bonus synergizes well with stealthy builds, allowing you to clear out enemy camps quietly and effectively.
Increased Energy Weapons Skill
In addition to the bonuses related to hunting, the Skilled Hunter trait also grants you +5 Energy Weapons skill points. Energy weapons are a powerful and versatile weapon type, and this skill boost will help you make the most of them. With a higher Energy Weapons skill, you can deal more damage, conserve ammo, and repair energy weapons more effectively.
Increased Survival Skill
The Skilled Hunter trait also provides you with +5 Survival skill points. Survival is a crucial skill for any Fallout player, as it allows you to craft essential items, find hidden resources, and improve your overall survival chances. This skill boost will make you more resilient and resourceful in the unforgiving Mojave Wasteland.
Bonus Damage Threshold
Finally, the Skilled Hunter trait gives you a bonus of 1 Damage Threshold. Damage Threshold reduces the amount of damage you take from physical attacks. This bonus, while not as significant as the other benefits, can provide some additional protection in close combat situations.
| Increased Damage to Animals | +10% |
| Increased Sneak Attack Damage against Animals | +10% |
| Increased Energy Weapons Skill | +5 |
| Increased Survival Skill | +5 |
| Bonus Damage Threshold | +1 |
Better Criticals
The Better Criticals trait increases the critical hit multiplier of all weapons by 2. This means that critical hits will deal twice as much damage as normal. This trait is particularly useful for characters who rely on critical hits, such as those who use VATS or have high Luck. It can also be helpful for characters who use weapons with a low base critical hit chance, as it will help to make their critical hits more consistent.
The Better Criticals trait is especially effective when combined with other perks and abilities that increase critical hit chance, such as the Luck stat, the Finesse perk, and the Bloody Mess perk. These perks can help to make critical hits even more powerful, and can make the Better Criticals trait even more valuable.
Here is a table summarizing the effects of the Better Criticals trait:
| Weapon | Base Critical Hit Chance | Critical Hit Chance with Better Criticals | Critical Hit Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10mm Pistol | 10% | 20% | 2x |
| Hunting Rifle | 5% | 10% | 2x |
| Super Sledge | 1% | 2% | 2x |
Fallout: New Vegas – The Best Traits
Fallout: New Vegas offers a wide range of traits that can significantly enhance your character’s abilities and gameplay experience. While the best trait for you will depend on your individual playstyle and preferences, some traits are objectively stronger than others. Here are a few of the most popular and effective traits in the game:
- Built to Destroy: This trait increases your damage with explosives by 15%. It is particularly useful for players who rely on explosive weapons or plan to invest heavily in the Explosives skill.
- Fast Shot: This trait grants a 20% bonus to your attack speed with firearms. It is ideal for characters who focus on close-quarters combat or want to maximize their damage output per second.
- Good Natured: This trait increases your Charisma by 2 and gives you a +10 bonus to Speech checks. It is an excellent choice for players who want to excel in dialogue and negotiation situations.
- Logan’s Loophole: This trait allows you to ignore the usual penalties for being addicted to certain chems. It is particularly useful for characters who plan to use chems to enhance their abilities or offset negative status effects.
- Skilled: This trait grants you an additional 5 skill points per level, allowing you to develop your character more quickly and efficiently. It is a great all-around trait that benefits any build.
