Out of all the Traits in Crusader Kings 3, Personality Traits are arguably the most important, especially given the fact that adult characters will typically have three of them and that they in turn determine the nature of the character. Due to the excellent Stress mechanic, players are encouraged to roleplay in CK3 and make decisions based on their Personality Traits, while the AI also acts accordingly.
However, there are some Personality Traits that are so bad that players, either creating their own characters or educating their heir, should try and avoid them at all costs. The worst Personality Traits in CK3 have multiple negative effects, lowering the character's stats, and often incur too much Stress from the necessities of ruling.
7 Craven
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+2 Intrigue | -2 Martial |
+10 Hostile Scheme Resistance | -3 Prowess |
+10% Scheme Secrecy | -5 Courtly Vassal Opinion |
-50% Likelihood of capture or death in Battle | -15 Glory Hound Vassal Opinion |
+20 Same Trait Opinion | -10 Attraction Opinion |
Stress gain through Torture |
While Craven can be a good Personality Trait for vassals to have as it makes them less likely to rebel, it is typically an undesirable Trait for the player due to the reduction in fighting power and Opinion loss.
There will also be multiple decisions throughout the game that players are unable to take due to being Craven, although thankfully this Trait does have positives too. For example, the reduced chance of dying in combat can be great for managing the succession in Crusader Kings 3.
6 Paranoid
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+3 Intrigue | -1 Diplomacy |
+25% Dread Gain | +100% Stress gain |
+10% Scheme Discovery Chance | -10 Opinion of Vassals |
-25 Enemy Personal Scheme Success Chance | Stress gain through inviting characters to court and plots |
While the Paranoid trait does have some major upsides for defensive Intrigue, the +100% Stress gain is one of the worst debuffs in the game, and unless players are exceptional at managing Stress in CK3, they will quickly find their character overwhelmed.
Additionally, even though Paranoid benefits Intrigue in some ways, the fact that Stress is gained from inviting accomplices to plots makes scheming much harder.
5 Compassionate
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+2 Diplomacy | -2 Intrigue |
+5 Attraction Opinion | -15 Opposite Trait Opinion |
+10 Courtly Vassal Opinion | - 15 Natural Dread |
+15 Minority Vassal Opinion | +100% Dread Decay |
Stress gain from almost any negative action |
Although being compassionate and caring is most certainly a positive in real life, having the Compassionate Trait in Crusader Kings 3 can be a major pain for rulers.
First of all, the nerfs to Dread make ruling through fear almost impossible, but it is the Stress gain from almost any negative action that makes Compassionate so detrimental, as the necessity of rule dictates that tough decisions have to be made.
4 Gluttonous
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+10% Stress Loss | -2 Stewardship |
+10 Same Trait Opinion | -5 Attraction Opinion |
Less likely to die from poisoning during Murder Schemes | -10 Opposite Trait Opinion |
Gluttony is a sin in many of the Crusader Kings 3 religions, and so right off the bat, many players will take a hit to their Piety gain with this Personality Trait. Furthermore, although characters will lose slightly more Stress, and be less likely to die from poison, their overall health will take a hit, causing characters to die prematurely.
The loss of Stewardship and negative Opinions are also less than ideal and far outweigh the meager positives of the Gluttonous Trait.
3 Arrogant
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+1 Monthly Prestige | -10 Scheme Secrecy |
-5 Opinion of Vassals | |
-5 Opinion of Liege | |
-15 Opposite Trait Opinion | |
Stress gain through granting Vassals independence, legitimizing bastard, or signing white peace in offensive wars |
Much to the horror of someone who is full of themselves, there aren't many upsides to having the Arrogant Personality Trait in CK3, other than the flat +1 Monthly Prestige, which can admittedly come in handy in certain CK3 playthroughs.
While none of the negatives, outside of specific scenarios where the player would induce Stress, are that bad by themselves, it is the sheer number of them in comparison to the one positive that makes Arrogant bad.
2 Lazy
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+50% Stress Loss | -1 Diplomacy |
-1 Martial | |
-1 Stewardship | |
-1 Martial | |
-1 Learning | |
No Stress loss through Hunting |
With -1 to every major stat, it is easy to see why Lazy is one of the worst Personality Traits in Crusader Kings 3. Furthermore, hunts are usually one of the best ways to lose Stress in the game, but that is no longer possible with the Lazy Trait.
The only upside to being lazy is that if players do find activities or decisions that alleviate Stress, they will lose even more, and thus avoid mental breakdowns more easily.
1 Shy
Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
+1 Learning | -2 Diplomacy |
+20% Hostile Scheme Resistance | -5 Attraction Opinion |
+30% Learn Language Scheme Power | -20% Personal Scheme Power |
+10 Parochial Vassal Opinion | Stress gain through inviting characters to court and plots |
+10 Same Trait Opinion |
While the Shy Trait may look like it has slightly more positives than negatives, it is widely considered to be the worst Personality Trait in CK3, as players find themselves inundated by Stress for almost anything.
Pretty much any activity, event, or decision that involves other people will cause Stress, and while some of these can be avoided, players then miss out on the potential rewards. With a hit to Diplomacy and Personal Scheme Power, players will also find themselves being less liked, which could cause more dangerous factions to arise.
Crusader Kings 3 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.