Perhaps the greatest feature in Crusader Kings 3 is how unique each character is in the game, yet each has their own identifiable personality. The way this is done is by using traits, of which there are over 100 in the game. Join us as we go through our personality trait tier list for Crusader Kings 3. We'll also provide some tips on which traits can boost your character's fertility.
Traits inform the way a character behaves in CK3, as well as deciding how well they're able to perform any given task. Using this tier list, you can identify which personality traits will provide the best bonus for your character.
It can be extremely useful to have a good understanding of what each trait offers, especially if you're educating your heir and want them to reach their full potential. Moreover, ensuring you have a character with high fertility is vital to secure your family line's future.
Crusader Kings 3 personality traits tier list
Below is our tier list of all the personality traits currently available in Crusader Kings 3. We've based our rankings on how good the overall stat bonuses are provided by each trait.
It should be noted, that while some personality traits are unarguably better than others, playing a character with bad traits can be just as fun in Crusader Kings 3, if not more so. Part of the fun of Crusader Kings 3 is trying to succeed against the odds as a shy, lazy, or even straight-up craven Lord or Lady.
Tier | CK3 Personality Traits |
|---|---|
S | Content, Diligent, Vengeful, Gregarious |
A | Ambitious, Calm, Lustful, Just, Humble, Patient, Zealous, Cynical |
B | Brave, Forgiving, Greedy, Shy, Compassionate, Callous, Sadistic, Fickle, Stubborn, Eccentric |
C | Wrathful, Chaste, Generous, Honest, Shy, Arbitrary, Impatient, Gluttonous |
F | Craven, Lazy, Arrogant, Paranoid, Trusting |
Moreover, while traits such as Wrathful are not so good on paper, it's much a much more fun trait to play with than, say, Content, particularly if you're trying to play as a warmongering barbarian. Ultimately, different traits will suit different playstyles, so you may well disagree with where we've placed some of the traits in our tier list.
How do traits work?
There are many different types of traits in Crusader Kings 3, each of which encompasses different aspects of a character. Below is a list of all the trait types in Crusader Kings 3 and their definitions, as well as some example traits from each type so you can get an understanding of what they include.
- Personality traits: most significant representation of a character, affects stress gain and determines AI behavior (e.g., Brave, Honest, Patient)
- Education traits: received upon reaching adulthood, based on an individual's quality and type of education (e.g., Skilled Tactician, Thrifty Clerk, Elusive Shadow)
- Congenital traits: have a chance to appear upon birth and are inheritable. The chance to inherit these traits is much greater if the trait is shared by both parents (e.g., Giant, Albino, Bleeder)
- Physical traits: developed as consequences of events or illnesses (e.g., Strong, One-Legged, Eunuch)
- Leveled traits: these traits have levels that require experience to improve them to give greater bonuses (e.g., Pilgrim, Hunter, Traveller)
- Lifestyle traits: obtained through the final perk of each Lifestyle tree or as a result of Lifestyle decisions (e.g., Overseer, Architect, Strategist)
- Commander traits: give various bonuses to armies led by the character with these traits (e.g., Military Engineer, Flexible Leader, Open Terrain Expert)
- Infamy traits: may be accepted, shunned, or considered criminal depending on the tenets of a character's faith (e.g., Adulterer, Incestuous, Cannibal)
- Coping mechanisms: obtained when a character suffers a mental break, helping them lose stress (e.g., Drunkard, Reclusive, Journaller)
- Childhood traits: exclusive to characters between 3 and 15 years of age (e.g., Bossy, Charming, Rowsy)
- Health and Disease traits: negative effects that lower a character's Health rating, ranging in severity. Disease traits can spread from one character to another (e.g., Wounded, Inbred, Leper)
- Dynasty and Descendant traits: obtained if a character's known parent has a certain descendant trait (e.g., Divine Blood, Paragon, Saoshyant)
- Decision traits: gained via decisions (e.g., Greatest of Khans, Augustus, Chakravarti)
- Event traits: gained via events (e.g., Pregnant, Hajji, Varangian)
What traits increase fertility?
Having trouble producing an heir? Our list of traits below has all the traits in the game that will help boost your fertility. We'll also be labeling each trait with their respective type, as well as noting down the exact boost you'll be getting to your fertility stat.
Trait Name | Trait Type | Fertility Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Lustful | Personality | +25% Fertility |
Fecund | Congenital | +50% Fertility,
+5 Years of Fertility |
Pure-blooded | Congenital | +10% Fertility |
Comely | Congenital (Levelled) | +10% Fertility |
Pretty/Handsome | Congenital (Levelled) | +20% Fertility |
Beautiful | Congenital (Levelled) | +30% Fertility |
Patriarch/Matriarch | Lifestyle (Family Hierarch, Diplomacy) | +20% Fertility |
Seducer/Seductress | Lifestyle (Seducer, Intrigue) | +20% Fertility |
Whole of Body | Lifestyle (Whole of Body, Learning) | +20% Fertility |
Additionally, we've compiled all the traits that will decrease your fertility score. Unless you're intentionally trying to end your family line, you should try to avoid obtaining any of these when possible to secure your future lineage. The majority of this list is made up of injuries or diseases, so often, it's impossible to avoid picking up a negative fertility trait.
Trait Name | Trait Type | Fertility Reduction |
|---|---|---|
Chaste | Personality | -25% Fertility |
Melancholic | Congenital | -10% Fertility |
Scaly | Congenital | -20% Fertility |
Sterile/Barren | Congenital | -50% Fertility |
Homely | Congenital (Levelled) | -10% Fertility |
Ugly | Congenital (Levelled) | -20% Fertility |
Hideous | Congenital (Levelled) | -30% Fertility |
Severely Injured | Health | -25% Fertility |
Brutally Mauled | Health | -75% Fertility |
Impotent | Health | -50% Fertility |
Maimed | Health | -50% Fertility |
Infirm | Health | -30% Fertility |
Incapable | Health | -1000% Fertility |
Inbred | Health | -50% Fertility |
Disfigured | Health | -20% Fertility |
Ill | Disease | -20% Fertility |
Bubonic Plague | Disease | -50% Fertility |
Cancer | Disease | -20% Fertility |
Great Pox | Disease | -20% Fertility |
Leper | Disease | -95% Fertility |
Pneumonia | Disease | -50% Fertility |
Smallpox | Disease | -25% Fertility |
Typhus | Disease | -20% Fertility |
That's all there is to know about traits in Crusader Kings 3. If you're looking for more Crusader Kings 3 content, we've got all the latest news on the upcoming release of the Legacy of Persia DLC. We've also got a complete list of cheat codes for Crusader Kings 3 if you're trying to experiment with the game's world.