With there being a total of 50 traits in Remnant: From the Ashes, it can be hard to choose which ones to pick up and which ones to avoid. There's certainly nothing wrong with getting as many as possible and maxing them all out, as there are 800 trait points to spend over the course of the game.
There are ways to respec if players wish down the road. However, when looking for traits that should be worked into a build from the beginning, these are probably the best ones to look for. Consequently, there are also a few that should definitely be avoided at all costs.
10 Equip: Trigger Happy
This trait helps with fire rate, which is always good in builds that focus mostly on guns. There are a lot of ranged enemies in the game, and, unless players are into doing melee only, guns are going to be an integral part of the way the game is played.
More than likely, every build is going to integrate ranged weaponry to some degree, and shooting faster is never a bad thing when up against some of the baddies that throw spears, chuck spells, or shoot back at the player. A great addition to this trait is the Gunslingers Charm, which can be attained through a random spawn on Earth.
9 Avoid: Teamwork
Unless players are into multiplayer—and they really should be, as it's more fun that way—this is a trait that can be skipped in the long run. This ability gives the player and their teammates one meter up to a max of 35 meters for increasing mod power regeneration, experience gained by 5% when standing near teammates, and, while teammates are nearby, the buff is boosted.
While this is a great trait to have if players are always in groups, if they're playing solo, this is probably one to avoid.
8 Equip: Exploiter
In order to get this trait, players will have to kill 150 enemies with weak spot damage. This will increase the damage done by targeting weak spots and is great for those that use the sniper rifle or hunting rifle as their main weapon of choice.
Later in the game, this can become devastating if the player has decent aim and can pull off hits that cause that weak spot to pop up. This is an important skill for those that focus mainly on ranged builds, and a great trinket for this trait to help with even more damage is the Hunter's Band, which can be acquired randomly on Yaesha.
7 Avoid: Swiftness
Unless players are really into just moving quickly, which might be their way of doing things, this is a trait that can be avoided in the beginning. The buff just increases the player's movement speed while going through the world. They can get this trait by playing the "Song of the Guardian" on any of the bells—and skipping the second line—in an event on Yaesha.
Getting this trait later in the game will help with getting through maps faster, but, in the beginning, it's one that can be skipped.
6 Equip: Glutton
To get this skill, players will need to kill the Unclean One in the shack on Corsus with his massive cleaver and crazy whirlwind movements. If the player wants to also get a weapon out of the kill, they can sneak downstairs and take the fight there to get the weapon that he fights with as a reward.
This skill increases consumable speed, which is always a good thing when players are fighting baddies and finding themselves in need of an ammo refresh or an oilskin tonic. Getting the Celerity Stone will help with consumable speed by 25%, as well.
5 Avoid: Bark Skin
While having more armor is an excellent thing to have, players should focus on not getting hit at all if possible. Taking large amounts of damage is just the name of the game, and learning to dodge effectively is likely the better option for avoiding damage altogether.
One great item to get instead that would help with dodging mechanics would be the Ring of Evasion which gives the player a 10% more radius to dodge with. It may not sound like much, but it makes a world of difference if players aren't good at timing dodges perfectly.
4 Equip: Elder Knowledge
Getting this in Ward 13 within the basement is crucial to leveling up traits quickly. This is one of the very first traits that players should look for in the game along with the submachine gun that's in the same area. There are also a few trait books lying around that they could use, as well, to start the game off right.
Taking this trait and leveling it up with those tomes of knowledge will increase the players' experience gained and make life a lot easier while playing, and maxing this out to 20 is a must. A great item to get even more of an experience boost is the Sagestone, which is a random drop. With 30% increased experience plus Elder Knowledge, it will certainly boost players' abilities to max out traits fairly quickly.
3 Avoid: Recovery
While Recovery is great, it's not going to win many fights. There are better skills that could be invested in the beginning so that players have an easier time with gameplay.
This trait gives increased stamina regen, which helps in situations where players will be dodging a lot or doing other activities that require the use of stamina. This trait should be left until later in the game where players can gain access to it by defeating the boss Claviger in Rhom. Playres who might prefer a trinket that does something similar can get the Pocket Watch from listening to all of the stories of Mudtooth, or Leto's Amulet from a random dungeon on Earth.
2 Equip: Executioner
This trait gives players an increased chance to score critical hits on enemies, and, when enemies in the end game are loaded with hit points, the quicker they're taken down, the better. Meta builds in the game almost always include this trait, and scaling damage to contend with late-game enemies is just an all-around good idea.
For those that are ranged, the Devouring Loop gained by a random chance spawn on Corsus will give an extra 5% chance to deal 300% bonus damage—20% with Catalyst trait maxed—and, for those who go in swinging, the Butchers Fetish will give an increase to damage for 10 seconds after a melee critical hit by 25%.
1 Avoid: Cold As Ice
At the bottom of the list of traits to avoid, this one gives players increased damage if hitting an enemy from behind. While that sounds great and very powerful, most of the time, it's more likely players will be taking enemies out from range, and, in the endgame with more powerful enemies—check out alternative boss kills here and their rewards—it's unlikely that a player will be sneaking upon them to take them out. This trait, though, should players choose to take it, can be gained by killing an ally after talking to Brabus in Cutthroat Channel on Earth.