Abiotic Factor – Guide to Jobs and Traits (Character Creation Tips)

Jobs

When you start the game, you have to pick a job. Right now (v0.8.0.9915), jobs only change your starting skills, items, and trait points.

The best job for most things is Summer Intern because it has 12 trait points, which is a lot. Jobs are still good for trying out different parts of the early game. They also help new players get into the game by giving them a clear role.

Lab Assistant with Decathlon Competitor and Self Defense is a simple build that lets you get through the early game fast. It’s good for unlocking stuff or catching up to players who already left the offices.

Phytogenetic Botanist or Somatic Gastrologist with Wrinkly Brain Meat, Hobbyist Chef, and Gardener is a nice starter build for multiplayer. It’s good for players who want to stay home and don’t like grinding or dangerous trips.

Traits

Traits are bonuses or penalties that last for your whole playthrough. You can’t change them later, so it’s important to pick traits that give the most benefit and are the easiest to use. Many traits seem strong or harmless at first, but they often turn out different than they looked. To make them easier to understand, I made a rating system:

★★★ – ORDO

Good traits with this rating give big bonuses that can’t be copied or stack in unique ways. Bad traits with this rating are very easy to deal with. They give a lot of trait points for little effort or even good effects.

★★ – SANC

Good traits with this rating give special bonuses that help certain playstyles. Bad traits with this rating are harder to deal with but give a decent amount of trait points.

★ – CRUCIS

Good traits with this rating give small benefits that stop being useful quickly. Bad traits with this rating are big challenges and handicaps.

☆ – THELA

Good traits with this rating give very little for their cost and should be skipped. Bad traits with this rating are dangerous and disruptive. Avoid them.

☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS

Good traits with this rating barely give any benefit for a very high cost. Never take them. Bad traits with this rating make the game less fun. Avoid them unless you want a challenge.

★✪☆ – JURA

This rating is for traits that are unclear, not fully in the game yet, or depend a lot on the situation.

Positive Traits

Decathlon Competitor (★★ – SANC)

• You trained for and took part in the GATE Foundation Decathlon. You gain fitness skills faster (Sprinting, Strength, Throwing).
• +3 Sprinting
• This is one of the most balanced traits. It gives a useful starting skill boost and bonus XP for some of the most important and hardest to level skills. The only downside is the high cost.

Wrinkly Brainmeat (★✪☆ – JURA)

• Your brain learns faster. You gain 20% more XP.
• A great quality-of-life trait that lets you reach important skill levels sooner. It’s especially good for Strength, Accuracy/Reloading, Throwing, and Fortitude.
• But the benefits are about getting things earlier and having them for more of the game. Eventually others will catch up. Serious players who grind skills, play more than friends, or play solo might prefer unique bonuses or even the opposite trait Slow Learner.

Night Owl (★ – CRUCIS)

• You often work late, getting tired 50% slower.
• Useful but not worth the high cost. Sleep is the hardest need early on, but coffee is cheap and easy to get. Once you find the Military Cot to rest anywhere, this trait is wasted.

Hobbyist Chef (★ – CRUCIS)

• You love cooking. You gain Cooking skill twice as fast.
• A simple XP buff for an easy skill to level.
• Convenient for casual players who want to be the “den mother”, especially for the low cost. But serious players (who look up character guides) won’t get much from it since later recipes need the same mid-game ingredients no matter how early you unlock them.

Sneaky (★★ – SANC)

• You are quiet and meek. Enemies notice you twice as slow.
• +2 Sneaking
• Halving enemy detection makes Stealth much stronger, and +2 skill gets you closer to Biotic Shadow. This makes exploring safer, opens new routes, and makes leveling Sneaking easier.

Weathered (★✪☆ – JURA)

• You like being outdoors when not underground. Temperature affects you less.
• Temperature isn’t fully in the game yet, only mattering in one Portal World.
• This will change in the Crush Depth Summer Update based on the current Road Map.
• Avoid this unless you want to bet on future updates.

Fanny Pack (★★★ – ORDO)

• You always have it with you. Permanently gain 2 extra Hotbar Slots.
• A unique bonus found nowhere else. Improves inventory space, weight (hotbar items weigh 25% less!), and hotkey use all at once.

Thick Skin (★★ – SANC)

• 50% lower chance of bleeding injuries.
• Simple but useful all game, especially early on. Not as good as Hemophiliac is bad, but compound bleeds stay very rare with it.

First Aid (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You took the GATE First Aid course. Start with 5 bandages.
• +3 First Aid
• Pretends to be a skill trait, but only gives a little First Aid XP.
• It just gives 5 bandages – less than picking up cloth scraps in the cafeteria!

Gardener (★ – CRUCIS)

• Gain Agriculture XP twice as fast. Start with basic garden plot recipes.
• Slightly better than Hobbyist Chef, boosting a harder skill.
• The extra recipes are filler, since making them teaches the recipes anyway.

Light Eater (☆ – THELA)

• Require 20% less food.
• Food is easy to get, stack, and manage.
• Even if you run out, $1 at a vending machine buys time to hunt, cook and eat pests.

Naturally Moist (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You are moist and get thirsty 20% slower.
• Covers a need easier than Light Eater does, and costs 1 more point too.

Self Defense (★★★ – ORDO)

• You took the GATE self-defense course. +3 damage with all melee weapons.
• Another unique bonus, +3 damage helps reach breakpoints sooner.
• Stays surprisingly useful as enemies get more armor later.

Bladder of Steel (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You can hold it. Toilet needs reduced 20%.
• Not only blocks the best trait (Weak Bladder), but wastes 3 points.
• Toilet needs are easily met (and make resources), non-lethal, and easy to clean.

Buff Brainiac (★★ – SANC)

• Carry 15% more weight.
• +1 Strength
• Great in theory but rarely matters since moving furniture makes you Overweight anyway.
• Stays useful if carrying exploration gear and structures, especially with Fanny Pack.

Lead Belly (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You can drink tainted water without getting sick. Gross.
• Useful, but not worth the high cost – 2 more points gets Fanny Pack instead!
• Thirst is the slowest and easiest need, so besides tricking friends into drinking pool water, it’s not very helpful.

Negative Traits

Fear of Violence (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You refuse to level combat skills past 5 (Accuracy, Reloading, Blunt/Sharp Melee, Fortitude, Throwing).
• The worst trait, and the only way to permanently cripple your character.
• Bad because it stops combat skills from scaling. But even for a full pacifist playthrough, it caps Fortitude too, making you squishier and slower to heal outside combat.

Feeble (☆ – THELA)

• You are very frail. 25% lower max health, break bones more from falls and blunt hits.
• The health penalty is bad enough on top of blocking better traits. But more injuries from falls and blunt attacks is a huge risk.
• Leg injuries are among the worst, slowing you and blocking movement abilities when landing or hit. Splints seem to fix this, but later combat and platforming can quickly cause death or stacked leg injuries from one mistake.

Narcoleptic (★★ – SANC)

• You get tired 75% faster and never feel rested. This is constant.
• Not recommended for new players.
• Narcoleptic seems crippling, and it is if unprepared. It’s the biggest needs trait and the hardest to refresh.
• But being Tired doesn’t end Copacetic, and you can sit anywhere. So cheap, common coffee and an office chair prop you up. Sleep stops mattering once you get a Military Cot, making Narcoleptic basically free.

Asthmatic (☆☆☆ – SOLUTUS)

• You lose stamina 40% faster.
• Stamina is vital and hard to buff, so 40% higher cost means 40% less running, jumping, blocking. Big quality of life downgrade, makes shield-busting enemies like Order Breachers and Exor Warriors much deadlier.

Painfully Obvious (★✪☆ – JURA)

• You stand out in a bad way. Enemies notice you 45% faster.
• If you won’t use Stealth, this trait is almost free.
• Otherwise it’s a big detection boost that makes the skill much harder to level, and makes getting around harder and more combat-heavy, even using shortcuts. Very noticeable in places like Manufacturing where ranged enemies can see you from multiple spots and alert others.

Hearty Appetite (★★★ – ORDO)

• Your wild metabolism makes you hungry 60% faster.
• Food is common, easy to carry lots of, and easy to manage.
• Once you can make Pest Goulash soup (Pest+Pest Rump+Salt), food is basically a non-issue.

Dry Skin (★★★ – ORDO)

• You are naturally dry, getting thirsty 20% faster.
• See “Hearty Appetite” above.
• Thirst drains slower than hunger and is even easier to handle due to all the Sodas from robots and vending machines.

Slow Healer (★ – Crucis)

• Your healing interval is 1.5 seconds slower.
• Healing Interval is poorly understood, but slower healing and injury recovery makes early game miserable and tends to make bad situations worse.
• Can be handled with lots of healing syringes or heavy use of Portable Charger + Healing Briefcase (which will be nerfed hard).

Slow Learner (★✪☆ – JURA)

• You have stiff brain pathways. You learn skills 20% slower and can’t learn recipes by sharing or picking up crafted items.
• Not recommended for new players.
• Slow Learner’s value depends on if you like skill grinding, how patient you are with key breakpoints, and how much time you have for the game. Casual players should avoid this, average Zomboid players will be used to it.

Hemophilia (☆ – THELA)

• Twice as likely to bleed from wounds, potentially severely.
• Brutal for early fights, Hemophilia seems manageable once you have full armor and lots of bandages.
• Then you reach Labs and see how bad it really is. Mid-game enemies can shred armor and shields in a few shots, cause bleeds at range, and worst of all: cause bleeds in rapid succession.
• Getting one bleed consistently is manageable. Three is guaranteed death without help.

Weak Bladder (★★★ – ORDO)

• You can’t hold it long. Toilet needs increased 15%, and you sit on the toilet longer.
• Easily the best trait, it’s secretly a buff!
• Poop is one of the rarest materials and producing it more often makes several crafting recipes much easier. Even if that wasn’t a bonus, bathrooms are common and the effects of not finding one are non-lethal and easily fixed.

Full Builds

These builds combine the best traits for maximum power and minimal hassle. They let indecisive or new players jump right into the game.

The Generalist

• Positives: Wrinkly Brainmeat, Fanny Pack, Self Defense
• Negatives: Hearty Appetite, Dry Skin, Weak Bladder

By using easy needs, the Summer Intern can pick several strong traits that stay useful all game for a low cost. If you’re unsure what to pick or want to flexibly fill any role, this works well.

The Explorer

• Positives: Decathlon Competitor, Inconspicuous, Weathered, Fanny Pack
• Negatives: Hearty Appetite, Dry Skin, Slow Healer, Weak Bladder

For those who prefer avoiding combat and using indirect tactics, this build focuses on mobility and bold exploring. If you like sneaking places you “shouldn’t be yet” or luring enemies into traps, this suits you.

The Combat Monster

• Positives: Decathlon Competitor, Wrinkly Brainmeat, Night Owl, Thick Skinned, Self Defense, Buff Brainiac
• Negatives: Painfully Obvious, Hearty Appetite, Dry Skin, Weak Bladder

The opposite of The Explorer, this build focuses on quickly mastering combat skills and using them while minimizing annoying upkeep. If you like charging into enemies, getting in too deep, or dragging friends into fights across the map, this fits you.

The Maximalist

• Positives: Inconspicuous, Weathered, Fanny Pack, Self Defense, Buff Brainiac
• Negatives: Narcoleptic, Hearty Appetite, Dry Skin, Slow Learner, Weak Bladder

By accepting more prep and grinding, this build maximizes gains without any big or overlapping weaknesses. If you’re a completionist, or can’t stand missing out on every permanent boon, this suits you.

The Horror Game Protagonist

• Positives: Wrinkly Brainmeat, Night Owl, Inconspicuous, Weathered, Fanny Pack
• Negatives: Feeble, Slow Healer, Hemophilia, Weak Bladder

What if you didn’t want to be the best? What if you wanted the game to be scarier? What if you wanted fights to be better avoided? Then maybe this is for you. Even on Default settings, fights suddenly get riskier and cost more, especially as Slow Healer, Feeble, and Hemophilia start to overlap and mix to make bad situations worse.

How to Reset Character

If a player really dislikes their build, they can fully reset their character. Maybe they took Afraid of Violence or Asthmatic and are falling behind, or they just want to try something different.

Warning: This WILL delete the character entirely, wiping their inventory, journal, world position, recipes and skills. They will start a brand new character in this world.

Step 0: Prepare

Have the character being reset put all items in storage and craft anything they need. Once reset, these items will be lost and recipes must be re-learned. So don’t keep any unique or important items like Hackers or Accessories. If you are hosting, take the world down while you do this.

Step 1: Find Folder

Click “Open Save Folder” in the Load a Save menu for that world. It should look like this:

Step 2: Remove Character Folder

In the PlayerData folder, remove the file for the character being reset. Deleting works, but I prefer to cut/drag it to the desktop in case you need to restore it. If you don’t know which file is correct, have the player equip or hold a single uncraftable item (Lead Vest, Baton, Peccary Skull). Then Search (CTRL+F) for that item to find the right character data.

Step 3: Remake Character

Rehost the world. If it worked, when that player joins they should see the character creation screen! If nothing happens, you may have opened the wrong world or removed the wrong character. Put the missing file back and try again! If you see a “DATA CORRUPTED” error when hosting, just restart your game.

Please be careful when directly editing world files, and remember to back up before deleting or changing any files.