Traits have always been under the radar in FIFA, although they can be quite important. We show you all the traits in FIFA 23 and which are the best ones.
When a new special card is released in FIFA Ultimate Team, you don't usually look at a player's traits first, even though they can affect your gameplay. The first look is at the pace, then you look at the rest of the card. Then you check the skills and the weak foot of the player. These are all important attributes, no question, but before you rush into an SBC, you should always check whether the player also has good traits.
Traits only come into play in certain situations, but in those situations they can be decisive in determining whether the goal is scored or not. And this is true for all game modes in FIFA 23, be it Ultimate Team, Pro Clubs or the Career Mode.
The Best Traits In FIFA 23
In this article we show you all traits in FIFA 23 and what they do. Afterward, we filter the best traits and tell you which traits you should pay attention to when buying players or signing SBC's.
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First of all, there are different categories of traits. There are the standard traits, the CPU traits, the virtual pro traits and the career mode traits. Our focus here is on the standard traits because they are the most important ones for Ultimate Team. But of course we will also present the other traits.
Traits cannot be changed for players in game modes such as FUT or Kick-off, unless there is a promo for it in FUT such as Path to Glory. In general, the better known and better the footballer is, the more traits he has on his card. The best footballers in the world also have the best skills.
Standard traits can be used by any player in single player mode, for example TOTY Messi. CPU traits, as the name suggests, can only be used by CPU controlled players. If a player has the "Dive Into Tackles" trait and is not controlled by you in FUT, he will tackle your online opponent. Virtual Pro Traits are for VOLTA or Pro Clubs, and the Career Mode Traits are – who would have thought it – for Career Mode.
All Goalkeeper Traits In FIFA 23
| CATEGORY | TRAIT | DESCRIPTION |
Goalkeeper (Standard) | Rushes Out Of Goal | A goalkeeper with this Trait will be more aggressive when coming out of the box to gather over the top or long through balls. |
| Goalkeeper
(Standard) | GK Cautious With Crosses | A goalkeeper with this Trait will only try to intercept a cross when they think they can get to the ball well before their opponent. |
| Goalkeeper
(Standard) | GK Comes For Crosses | A goalkeeper with this Trait will try to intercept a cross even if they think they will get to the ball barely before their opponent. |
| Goalkeeper
(Standard) | GK Save With Foot | A goalkeeper with this Trait will frequently choose to save the ball with his feet, allowing them to save a slightly higher frequency of close-range shots than a goalkeeper with the same attributes that did not have the GK Save With Foot Trait. |
| Goalkeeper
(Virtual) | GK Flat Kick | Acquiring this trait in Player Career will allow goalkeeper Pros to perform driven side kicks when holding R1/RB. You can obtain this trait for your FIFA Pro Clubs Virtual Pro by acquiring the GK Flat Kick Player Trait from the Goalkeeping Skill Tree. A goalkeeper Virtual Pro with this trait will be able to perform driven side kicks when holding R1/RB. |
| Goalkeeper
(Standard) | GK Long Thrower | A goalkeeper with this Trait will have the ability to target players further away with thrown passes. |
The best goalkeepers have GK Long Thrower and cross catcher as traits, such as Manuel Neuer. Probably the best GK trait is "Save With Foot", but only a few of the high rated players have this trait. Iker Casillas would be one of these players. Maybe we will get more goalkeepers in one of the next FUT promos.
Alle Physis-Traits in FIFA 23
| CATEGORY | TRAIT | DESCRIPTION |
| Standard | Injury Prone | A player with this Trait has an increased chance of getting injured when a collision occurs. |
| CPU | Dives Into Tackles | A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait will be more likely to use a sliding tackle instead of a standing tackle. |
| Standard, Virtual | Solid Player | A player with this Trait has a reduced chance of getting injured when a collision occurs. |
| Standard, Virtual | Second Wind | A Virtual Pro with this trait will have less fatigue towards the end of a match, after the 75-minute mark, if they are currently losing the match. |
"Second Wind" actually also exists in Ultimate Team, Politano is equipped with this trait. That's really cool, because he has almost full stamina again if you're behind towards the end of the game.
"Dives Into Tackles" is a fierce trait that Maldini, among others, has. If you don't control Maldini, he sometimes tackles the ball in a one-on-one, and then usually wins it. Injury Prone is unfortunately quite annoying, Ribéry, Reus and co. get injured in every second game, at least it feels like that. Just like in reality.
How realistic will EA Sports FC, the next FIFA, be?
All Mental Traits In FIFA 23
| CATEGORY | TRAIT | DESCRIPTION |
| Standard, Career | One Club Player | Used as part of the decision-making process for choosing a captain if a team’s designated captain is not in the lineup or is removed mid-game via substitution or red card, along with Team Player and Leadership. Players with this trait are known to be loyal to their current club, which will drive storylines in Career Mode. |
| Standard,
Career | Team Player | Used as part of the decision-making process for choosing a captain if a team’s designated captain is not in the lineup or is removed mid-game via substitution or red card, along with One Club Player and Leadership. |
Standard | Leadership | Used, along with One Club Player and Team Player, as part of the decision-making process in choosing a captain for a team if the designated captain is not in the lineup or is removed mid-game via substitution or red card. |
These traits do not have a noticeable effect on the gameplay, but are especially important for the career mode.
All Skill Traits In FIFA 23
| CATEGORY | TRAIT | DESCRIPTION |
| Standard,
CPU, Virtual | Finesse Shot | A player with this trait will get the full amount of curl when he takes a finesse shot when the ball is on the ground. This can change how the ball will get to the target, but it does not change the target itself and its accuracy. When controlled by CPU AI, this trait is more likely to shoot and will prefer to take a finesse shot. |
| Standard,
Virtual | Outside Foot Shot | A player with this trait will be able to perform an outside of the foot shot regardless of their Finishing attribute value. |
| Virtual Standard, Volta | Power Header | A player with this trait will have more powerful headers. A player with this trait is also more likely to be selected to fill a target position in the opposing penalty area during an attacking corner kick and is less likely to be selected as the support player when the kick taker requests support for a short corner. |
| Standard,
Virtual | Long Throw-In | When a player with this trait performs a throw-in using the X/Square button, the maximum distance of the throw is longer than that of a player without the trait. Suppose the opportunity for a quick throw-in has passed. In that case, players with this trait will be more likely to be considered the optimal selection for taking a throw-in where executing a long throw could boost the chance for a scoring opportunity. |
| Standard, Virtual | Giant Throw-In | When a player with this trait performs a throw-in using the X/Square Button, the maximum distance of the throw is longer than a player without this trait or with just the Long Throw-In Trait. Suppose the opportunity for a quick throw-in has passed. In that case, players with this trait will be more likely to be considered the optimal selection for taking a throw-in where executing a long throw could boost the chance for a scoring opportunity. |
| CPU,
Virtual | Early Crosses | A CPU AI player with this Trait will be more likely to attempt an early cross. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Takes Powerful Driven Free Kicks | A player with this trait will start their free-kick run-up from further back, producing a more powerful free-kick. A CPU AI-controlled player with this trait will be more likely to choose a driven free-kick over a finesse free-kick. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Swerve | A player with this trait will have reduced difficulty executing an accurate outside of the foot shot and will have the full amount of curl when passing the ball on the ground. It can change the path for how the ball will get to the target, but it does not change the target itself. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Flair | A player with this trait will be less likely to make errors when attempting flair moves. A human-controlled player with this trait will sometimes execute a flair pass or flair shot without using the flair modifier controls. A CPU AI-controlled player with this trait is more likely to use flair passes, flair shots, stutter during a penalty kick run-up, and execute a chip shot penalty. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Chip Shot | A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait will be more likely to try to chip the keeper when given the opportunity. |
| CPU | Technical Dribbler | A CPU AI-controlled player with this trait will likely go on a long run or attempt a zigzag dribble. A CPU AI-controlled player with this trait will also be more likely to be called a support player for a short corner kick. |
| CPU | Speed Dribbler | A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait will be more likely to go on a long run or to attempt a zigzag dribble. |
| CPU | Long Passer | A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait is more likely to attempt long passes. |
| CPU | Long Shot Taker | A CPU AI-controlled player with this trait will be more likely to try and take long shots when running with the ball and more likely to try long volley shots. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Set Piece Specialist | A Virtual Pro with this trait will no longer have the aiming reticule recenter when the left stick is released during free kicks and corner kicks. |
| Standard, CPU, Virtual | Bicycle Kick | A Player with this trait will perform a more significant amount of bicycle kicks contextually, and the player can perform a wider variety of bicycle kick animations. |
| CPU | Round the Keeper | A player with this Trait tends to dribble around the keeper when in one on one situations, and is more effective at this behavior than players without this Trait. |
| CPU | First Time Shot | A player with this Trait has a preference for taking shots immediately when receiving the ball, and their shot accuracy is improved when doing so. Note that this Trait does not guarantee that a player will always attempt a first time shot. |
| CPU | Playmaker | A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait will be given the ball by their teammates more often, allowing them to dictate more of the offense. A CPU AI-controlled player with this Trait will also make faster passing decisions. |
Phew, so that's all the traits in FIFA 23, now let's filter out the best traits in FUT for you. So if you want to buy a player or conclude an SBC, the player should have the following traits.
The Best Traits In FIFA 23
Except for "Injury Prone", no trait is bad, but here are the best ones.
These are the traits a good goalkeeper should have in FUT:
- GK Save With Foot
- GK Long Thrower
- GK Comes For Crosses
GK Comes For Crosses and Long Thrower are important for quick counterattacks if you have the strikers to do it. Save With Foot is fierce in 1vs1, but this animation also sometimes leads to the goalkeeper simply falling down instead of saving the ball with his hands.
These are the traits a good defender should have in FUT:
- Dives Into Tackles
- Power Header
- Long Passer
Diving Into Tackles is a hugely useful perk when your defender is not controlled by you. It allows you to block the passing lane with one player while your AI-controlled player tackles.
These are the traits a good midfielder in FUT should have:
- Technical Dribbler
- Swerve
- Playmaker
- Long Passer
You can dominate the midfield with these traits. Here it is very important that your passes always reach your team-mate, and that is where these traits come into play. You don't just want to pass the ball over five meters, but also dare to make a risky pass to the top. "Playmaker" helps the AI to move into a good attacking position.
These are the traits a good attacker in FUT should have:
- Finesse Shot
- Outside Foot Shot
- Swerve
- Chip Shot
Especially the Finesse Shot and the Outside Foot Shot are very important. The L2 shots were nerfed some time ago, but players with the Outside Foot Shot trait were only affected to a limited extent. All of the above traits help your striker to finish - and that's what matters most in this position.