In This War of Mine, players will have to get to know their survivors well in order to figure out their place in the group's dynamics. For the most part, the survivors are just the average civilians trapped in a raging siege. They're not the powerful video game everyman (or woman) who can suddenly learn to kill hordes of enemies and overpower godly beings with skill trees.
Every character in This War of Mine typically only gets one specialization or perk. Characters are also granted randomly, but players can be "picky" with them by restarting a playthrough again and again. In doing so, they can select their survivors who come with particularly advantageous skills or perks. These are the skills to look out for when being picky with the characters.
8 Good Cook
Characters with this skill:
- Bruno
- Livia (Final Cut)
A good meal during wartime might sound like an unaffordable luxury, but it's more important than players think. For one, cooked food increases morale and provides better satiety, leading to better food conservation in the long run. In the main game, Bruno is usually the most prominent one with this perk. Livia also has it assuming the players have the Final Cut update.
In addition to providing food so good that it makes everyone happy, a character with Good Cook also produces Cooked Meals using fewer resources. This helps immensely when micromanaging the Raw Food and Vegetable supplies, especially during winter.
7 Sneaks Quietly
Characters with this skill:
- Arica
- Esma (The Last Broadcast)
A huge part of This War of Mine's gameplay is the nightly supply run where characters have to risk their lives just to loot and keep everyone in the group fed, sheltered, and healthy. A lot of the supply run or scavenging mishaps happen if the scavenger gets detected by a hostile guard. Because most of the time, theft is the best way to gain supplies.
That's why the Sneaks Quietly perk in This War of Mine can be a godsend when it comes to less stressful supply runs. They're definitely more useful as scavengers than guards or anything else. So players will want to conserve these guys' strength and stamina for nightly runs. They also make it easier to sneak around without confrontation, sometimes making killing unnecessary if players manage them well enough.
6 Handyman
Characters with this skill:
- Marin
The Handyman is like the Good Cook except for tools and devices. Early in the game, materials and components are more precious or are in higher demand compared to food or medicine. Having someone in the group like Marin can help a lot in shoring up defenses or crafting the essentials and quality of life improvements for the shelter.
As a Handyman, Marin can craft anything using fewer resources. This leaves the saved-up materials or components for other endeavors such as repairs after a bad enemy raid. Sadly, Marin is the only Handyman in the game and his usefulness can fall off late-game when everything's set up; but at least he's a passable guard.
5 Skilled Scavenger
Characters with this skill:
- Marko
- Adam (Father's Promise)
Most likely the most desired perk for any starting character, the Skill Scavenger is one of the best and most versatile qualities in the game. It ensures that whoever has it gets increased inventory capacity (15). They can carry more items and in supply runs or scavenging, this means less wastage. No need to drop those additional meds or veggies.
They shine brightest during the start of the playthrough when players need to hoard as many materials and components as they can while also attending to food and medical needs. It's not just the larger inventory size that gives them an advantage. Skilled Scavengers also loot everything quicker, leading to shorter supply runs.
4 Fast Runner - Pavle
Characters with this skill:
- Pavle
Fit civilians tend to live and perform better during war and Pavle makes for a good case of why people need to exercise. Prior to the war, he was an athlete and thus can run faster than anyone in the survivor group. For everything else, he's average, meaning players can't go wrong with giving him any job.
For scavenging or supply runs, he doesn't haul as good as the Skilled Scavengers but he hauls fast. Players can then use him to quickly stash any items left behind in a hurry. Moreover, there's one notorious location where snipers prey on anything that moves and Pavle being a Fast Runner means he can evade them better.
3 Trained In Combat
Characters with this skill:
- Roman
- Adem (The Last Broadcast)
Combat is one of the most inevitable choices players have to make in This War of Mine and players will want people who won't incur psychological penalties when killing others. In such cases, characters like Roman or Adem (for The Last Broadcast content) will perform a lot better.
Roman, in particular, is the only character who can perform stealth kills with no weapons. The optimal tactic in utilizing characters like Roman is to sic him against guarded locations and have him clear the area of any living thing. Afterward, Skilled Scavengers can pick up all the loot in a later supply run.
2 Bargaining Skills/Persuasive
Characters with this skill:
- Katia
- Insurance Agent
Bargaining Skills (Persuasive for the Insurance Agent) doesn't sound useful when it comes to war survival but traders are some of the most underrated resources in the game. They visit every three days or so, giving players enough time to prepare barter currencies. A good purchase from traders can save players from having to do a supply run for a night or two.
For that matter, survivors who can bargain to lower the prices are essential here. Since trading is done through barter, having spare materials or necessities after a trade can be a lifesaver. If anything, they also help players ease into the trading mechanics.
1 Strong But Slow - Boris
Characters with this skill:
- Boris
Boris is an odd one in This War of Mine since he's the only one with the Strong but Slow skill. One would think that he makes a bad scavenger but he has the largest inventory capacity out of all the characters (even the Skilled Scavengers) at 17 slots. If anything, hauling stockpiled supplies in locations with him is more profitable.
For tasks around the shelter, he's quite terrible due to his speed. Being strong, however, Boris excels as a guard better than anyone else. He also has high combat ability though not exactly good for assaults and killing since he easily becomes sad.
This War of Mine is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Mobile.