The best trait.

[dragodon64]

@ Swedishguy: Communists

 

[Permanganate]

Financial is always awesome, IMO. The only situation in which it isn't great is an OCC. Everything else is either situational (Aggressive isn't much use if you aren't fighting) or underpowered (Protective, Imperialistic, Expansive, etc...)

 

[onedreamer]

Charismatic and Imperialistic.
I voted Imperialistic since I had to choose one. Most people play on Continent-like maps though, which I never play because I find boring since the AI is absolutely clueless in them, I play mostly Pangaea and in this map type pumping out settlers fast in the beginning is vital.

 

[Antilogic]

That is an interesting approach to selecting your traits. I typically chop-rush my settlers, so getting them out quickly isn't a problem. Also, I'd figure if you are settling fewer cities (I play Standard or smaller, usually smaller), then you would find the trait less useful.

 

[DigitalBoy]

I'd say that charismatic is the all-around "best" trait. Extra happiness means larger cities earlier in the game which can be (and usually is) a pretty large advantage. The decreased XP threshold is handy to have; I wouldn't place it above aggressive's cheap barracks and free promotion, but it's more than most of the other traits get for picking fights.

I also consider creative and organized to be stellar traits, but they lend themselves more to a land-grabbing approach, which I personally think is why they're so awesome but may not always be what you want to go for.

(Ironically, I didn't consider either of the traits in my favorite trait combo, but that's only because I'm considering the traits individually.)

 

[Antilogic]

By tiers:
1st- Phi, Ind, Fin
2nd- Cha, Agg, Cre
3rd- Exp, Org, Spi
4th- Imp, Pro

If I had to sort by tiers, mine would be set up quite differently:

1. Cha, Fin, Phi
2. Agg, Cre, Exp, Ind, Org, Spi
3. Imp, Pro

Industrious just isn't a top-ranked trait for me. Maybe because I warmonger more than anything else I don't see its value. However, if I'm building wonders, I typically have the double-production resource somewhere in my borders, so I can still complete it quickly.

Imperialistic and Protective are at the bottom because I simply cannot exploit them as effectively as the other traits. Although I did suffer through a game as Charlemagne, and realized that corporations lean heavily in his favor because of the Rathaus, so the game ended well for me.

 

[eric_]

I love Creative, personally. I hate having to build monuments everywhere or to waste time on Stonehenge. Financial is a close second, but at this point I'm adept at building a strong economy regardless of whether or not I'm Financial. Charismatic is probably my third favorite, and I often do decently by it. I also really like Organized in theory, but I can never seem to really make use of that trait effectively. I have the most success with Creative, for sure.

Creative is good early trait , but weakens in the later game .

I disagree. Every time you take a city, no matter how late in the game, the border pops and the cheap libraries are instrumental in consolidating new territory and making the new cities at least marginally useful.

Now, Financial is more like wine. It's decent at the beginning if you have floodplains on a river, but it doesn't really kick in until a ways down the line when your cottages have matured.

Financial is always awesome, IMO. The only situation in which it isn't great is an OCC. Everything else is either situational (Aggressive isn't much use if you aren't fighting) or underpowered (Protective, Imperialistic, Expansive, etc...)

Protective jibes nicely with Creative, imo. Increased culture and expanding borders + super-promoted archers/longbows/etc makes for rather effective defense.

 

[kristopherb]

<<<
Protective its powerful in MP you can lose less units from counter attacks.

 

[Antilogic]

I've uses for Protective, but I tend to like the other traits better. I just felt bad putting Imp. all on its lonesome on the bottom, so I put Pro. down with it.

 

[MrFrodo]

Financial helps no matter what your style or economy.

With a financial leader I feel like I can start a game without any pre-disposition toward a domination/conquest victory, spaceship, cultural or diplomatic with confidence having the extra cash will help me win. As, the game progresses I can decide how to proceed. Some traits don't help a lot unless you are playing a certain style.

 

[Enigma256]

financial doesn't help with a SE, it forces you into a CE

 

[Troymk1]

I think FDR's Ind/Org is pretty amazing. But I'm not a gun player so I'll shuddup....

 

[Öjevind Lång]

Financial. Without money, you are nothing. No matter what gaming style you have, financial is good.

 

[hecubus]

Expansive and Imperialistic are both third rate traits, mainly because of the bug where the bonus to worker/settler production is not applied to food (which make up the bulk of the crucial early workers/settlers).

I did not know about that. It would explain why I never noticed much of a difference in production speed when using those traits.

I voted financial because I'm a tech junkie and I just love watching them fly by. I used to love Industrious, being something of a wonder junkie as well. I've learned to live without most of them, though, as I've started upping the difficulty. I always miss Spiritual when I don't have it, though.

 

[troytheface]

well the poll indicates that the most positively looked upon combo would be finacial and Charismatic. I will have to look to see who has those traits out of curiosity. I selected Philosophical just becuase i got used to it and the great people it hastens.

 

[biratets]

There is no best trait, just like there's no best unit or best civic or best whatever. It all depends on your personal playing style, map, vistory conditions and many, many other things.

 

[MrCynical]

well the poll indicates that the most positively looked upon combo would be finacial and Charismatic. I will have to look to see who has those traits out of curiosity. I selected Philosophical just becuase i got used to it and the great people it hastens.

Fin/Cha would be Hannibal and, particularly prior to BtS, this trait combo made him one of the strongest leaders at high difficulty levels. Now the base happiness caps are higher at high difficulty Charismatic isn't quite as great as it used to be, but this is still a very good combination. Carthage's UB and UU aren't stunning though.

 

[GrandWazoo]

Honestly, there is no traits that I put above or below all the rest. I always play with random civs and leaders and works with what I get and there is no trait that I'm more happy to get or bad enough for me to restart.

I kinda like Spiritual for the civic switching and the possibility to get a religion early, financial for the commerce boost, especially early, creative for the quick fat cross, charismatic for conquests, organized for the smoother transition, aggressive for the nice free combat promotion, industrious for wonders and cheap forges (+free mining tech) and expansive (early and very late growth). I care less about philosophical (I never play a specialist heavy game) and imperialistic even though they're not too bad either.

 

[Swein Forkbeard]

I love Creative, personally. I hate having to build monuments everywhere or to waste time on Stonehenge. Financial is a close second, but at this point I'm adept at building a strong economy regardless of whether or not I'm Financial. Charismatic is probably my third favorite, and I often do decently by it. I also really like Organized in theory, but I can never seem to really make use of that trait effectively. I have the most success with Creative, for sure.



I disagree. Every time you take a city, no matter how late in the game, the border pops and the cheap libraries are instrumental in consolidating new territory and making the new cities at least marginally useful.

Now, Financial is more like wine. It's decent at the beginning if you have floodplains on a river, but it doesn't really kick in until a ways down the line when your cottages have matured.



Protective jibes nicely with Creative, imo. Increased culture and expanding borders + super-promoted archers/longbows/etc makes for rather effective defense.

I voted for Creative, too. However, I am a builder, and Creative looks most effective for a warmongerer.

 

[MrFrodo]

financial doesn't help with a SE, it forces you into a CE

Not really. You still have workers on Coastal squares, Windmills, luxury resource, etc. that benifit greatly from Financial. In my opinion, it is better to have flexibility about what Economy you will use, depending on what wonders, resources, etc. you get. One of my fastest SS victories was with Elizabeth using an SE economy throughout most of the game. Philisophical is a more SE favoring trait, Financial certainly favors using CE, but it helps with SE and hybrid, and it also helps when you go into full production mode for war.