Going Medieval Settler Traits Tier List
Settler traits in Going Medieval are random personality perks that can make a colonist indispensable or turn them into a liability. This tier list ranks all 48 verified traits in the game, using cost, combat utility, productivity, and colony impact. Because traits are assigned randomly, always evaluate the full package — a terrible trait on a specialist you never need is less painful than a great trait on a settler with no matching skills.
S-Tier: Game-Changing Traits
S-tier traits reshape how a settler functions. These are the perks you actively hunt for when recruiting prisoners or choosing starting colonists. Green Thumb is the single best farming trait in the game: a flat +35% harvest speed and +3 Botany means one settler can feed far more mouths than a normal farmer. Brawny is equally dominant for labor and combat, stacking speed, work efficiency, and melee damage into one package. Robust turns any settler into a durable survivor, improving healing, wound recovery, and motor skills. Finally, Gobbler is deceptively powerful — eating in half the time means more work cycles per day and less scheduling stress around meals.
| Tier | Trait | Effect Summary | Cost | Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Green Thumb | Botany +3, Harvest +35%, Harvest fail -50% | +20 | — |
| S | Brawny | Mining +3, Speed +25%, Work +25%, Melee +5% | +15 | — |
| S | Robust | Healing +25%, Motor +25%, Wound +25% | +15 | — |
| S | Gobbler | Eat time -50% | +10 | — |
S-tier traits are worth building entire roles around. Green Thumb and Brawny are especially valuable on your primary farmer and miner.
A-Tier: Strong, Reliable Picks
A-tier traits are strong enough to influence recruitment decisions but slightly narrower than S-tier. Erudite and Industrious are productivity monsters for researchers and general workers, respectively. Vigorous is a cheaper alternative to Robust that still dramatically improves survival. For trade and social roles, Ravishing, Fair, and Winsome provide stacking Speech, Beauty, and Trade bonuses that make merchants and jailers far more effective. Mobility perks like Whirlwind and Fleet Footed reduce idle walking time across the colony, which compounds into huge efficiency gains over seasons.
| Tier | Trait | Effect Summary | Cost | Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Vigorous | Healing +30%, Wound +20% | +10 | — |
| A | Erudite | Intellectual +5, XP +30% | +11 | — |
| A | Iron Stomach | Eat time -40% | +8 | — |
| A | Whirlwind | Speed +30%, Motor +10% | +8 | — |
| A | Night Owl | Sleep recovery +25%, Sleep consume -15% | +8 | — |
| A | Ravishing | Speech +5, Trade +30%, Beauty +20%, Social +35% | +11 | — |
| A | Fair | Speech +5, Art +3, Trade +20%, Beauty +10%, Social +35% | +9 | — |
| A | Industrious | Global work speed +15% | +5 | — |
| A | Fleet Footed | Speed +20%, Motor +15% | +7 | — |
B-Tier: Situational and Solid
B-tier traits are useful in specific colonies or roles. Cold Hardy and Heat Resistant remove temperature morale penalties entirely, making them excellent in extreme biomes but mediocre in temperate maps. Brawler and Hefty turn settlers into melee specialists, though melee combat is generally riskier than ranged defense. Social perks like Congenial, Outgoing, and Lord of Misrule stabilize mood in large colonies but matter less in small, tight groups. Alcohol-related traits (Hedonist, Swigger, Lightweight) are fun but require a working brewery economy to justify their cost. Traits like Snow White or Sun Seeker are free morale boosts if the map cooperates.
| Tier | Trait | Effect Summary | Cost | Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | Cold Hardy | Immune to cold | — | — |
| B | Heat Resistant | Immune to heat | — | — |
| B | Bloodlust | Morale bonus from kills | — | — |
| B | Brawler | Melee +3, Unarmed +30% | +4 | — |
| B | Hefty | Speed -10%, Melee +20%, Mining +25% | +11 | — |
| B | Austere | Appetite -35%, Eat +35% | +4 | — |
| B | Gourmet | Cooking +5, Appetite +5%, Eat -15% | +6 | — |
| B | Congenial | Mood target +15%, Mood change -15% | +6 | — |
| B | Outgoing | Mood target +10%, Mood change -5%, Social +35% | +3 | — |
| B | Early Bird | Sleep recovery +45%, consume +25% | +0 | — |
| B | Forty Winks | Sleep recovery +20%, consume -10% | +6 | — |
| B | Snow White | Morale bonus from snow | — | — |
| B | Sun Seeker | Morale bonus from sun | — | — |
| B | Wicche | Animal +3, Tame +10%, Train +10% | +3 | — |
| B | Wise | Intellectual +3, XP +20% | +6 | — |
| B | Strapping | Melee +3 | — | — |
| B | Winsome | Speech +3, Trade +10%, Beauty +5%, Social +35% | +5 | — |
| B | Lord of Misrule | Social +20%, Social chance +5% | — | — |
| B | Hedonist | Likes drinking | +6 | — |
| B | Swigger | Work speed +10% after drinking | — | — |
| B | Lightweight | Less alcohol needed | +6 | — |
| B | Cannibal | Morale bonus from human meat | — | — |
C-Tier: Minor or Niche
C-tier traits provide small benefits but come with trade-offs or extremely narrow use cases. Art-focused perks like Dainty and Precious only matter if you plan to dedicate a settler to sculpting and decorating, and their mood penalties for combat make them awkward on a small colony where everyone fights. Benevolent is a strong social boost but conflicts with Bloodlust and Brawler, limiting its flexibility. Callous is useful for butchers and grave diggers who spend all day near corpses, but most colonies can simply rotate tasks. Punch Drunk is actively annoying — the work speed bonus from drinking is not worth the risk of aggressive outbursts.
| Tier | Trait | Effect Summary | Cost | Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dainty | Art +10, dislikes fighting | — | — |
| C | Precious | Art +5, dislikes killing | — | — |
| C | Benevolent | Speech +5, Art +5, Social +35%, conflicts with Bloodlust/Brawler | — | — |
| C | Callous | Ignores corpses | — | — |
| C | Punch Drunk | Likes drinking, aggressive when drunk (-8) | — | — |
D-Tier: Avoid or Reconsider
D-tier traits are negative or actively harmful. Moribund is the worst trait in the game: a massive -35% healing and wound recovery, plus -20% motor, means the settler will spend more time injured and less time moving. Dullard cripples research and learning, making the settler useless in any intellectual role. Laggardly and Sluggardly tank work speed and movement, which are death sentences for a colony dependent on tight labor. Some negative traits like Ruthless or Gluttonous have tiny upsides, but the downsides almost always outweigh them. Consider banishing, imprisoning, or recruiting only as a last resort these settlers.
| Tier | Trait | Effect Summary | Cost | Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Moribund | Healing -35%, Motor -20%, Wound -35% | -18 | — |
| D | Dullard | Intellectual -5, Speech -3, XP -25% | -15 | — |
| D | Laggardly | Speed -15%, Work -30% | -9 | — |
| D | Sluggardly | Speed -15%, Work -20% | -7 | — |
| D | Infirm | Healing -30%, Motor -10%, Wound -10% | -10 | — |
| D | Vulnerable | Wound -25%, Motor -5% | -6 | — |
| D | Churl | Mood -20%, Mood change +10%, Negative social +35% | -6 | — |
| D | Contemplative | Mood -30%, Social interval +100%, Social chance -50% | -7 | — |
| D | Disfigured | Speech -5, Beauty -10%, Negative social +10% | -5 | — |
| D | Ill-Favoured | Speech -3, Beauty -10%, Negative social +10% | -3 | — |
| D | Listless | Speech -5, Negative social +5% | -5 | — |
| D | Stout | Appetite +20%, Eat -15%, Speed -5% | -4 | — |
| D | Elf Shot | Motor -15% (back pain) | -3 | — |
| D | Washout | Loses morale in rain | — | — |
| D | Hot-Blooded | Constantly overheated | — | — |
| D | Chilly | Loses morale in cold | — | — |
| D | Ruthless | Speech -3, Trade +20%, Negative social +35% | +1 | — |
| D | Gluttonous | Appetite +15%, Eat -30% | — | — |
| D | Somnolent | Sleep recovery +50%, consume +30% (needs more sleep) | — | — |
How to Use This Tier List
Traits are randomly assigned during settler generation, so you rarely get a perfect build. The key is matching the trait to the role. A Gobbler settler is great anywhere; a Brawler is only great if you also have decent melee skill and armor. Similarly, Dullard is devastating on a researcher but irrelevant on a hauler. When choosing starting settlers or converting prisoners, look at the whole package: skill levels, passions, traits, and health conditions. A single negative trait can be manageable if the settler's skills cover a critical gap.
Key Takeaway
Evaluate the full package, not individual traits. A settler with one D-tier trait but high Mining and Construction is still valuable. A settler with three S-tier traits but zero useful skills is just a morale drain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove or replace bad traits?
No, traits are permanent once assigned. If a settler has a severe D-tier trait like Moribund or Dullard, your best options are limiting them to low-skill tasks, banishing them, or using them as a temporary laborer until you can replace them. Plan your colony composition around traits rather than trying to fix them.
Do positive traits stack with high skills?
Yes, and this is why traits matter. A settler with 15 Botany and Green Thumb will massively outproduce a normal farmer. A fast walker with Whirlwind and Fleet Footed spends far less time idle. Always pair traits with matching roles to maximize their impact.
Should I reject every settler with a D-tier trait?
Not necessarily. Early-game manpower is scarce, and even a flawed settler can haul, cut wood, or grow simple crops. However, avoid putting D-tier trait carriers in critical roles like doctor, miner, builder, or researcher. Use them as expendable general labor until you have better replacements.
Costs and effects may change with patches.