Traits are the quirks each heir is born with in Rogue Legacy 2, and there are plenty of them. When you die, you take control of your next heir, a descendant of the character you just lost, and that heir comes with its own traits that shape how the run plays out. Some traits make your hero stronger, some make the run harder, and some only change how the game looks. Many of the harder ones also pay extra gold, so they're worth a closer look before you pick.
Gold Bonus
No Gold Bonus
Aerodynamic
Replaces Spin Kick with a stronger downward strike.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Antique
Starts the run with a random Relic at its Resolve cost.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Bookish
Trades some health for stronger spells and a larger mana pool.
- Stat Changes
- +50% Magic Damage; +50% MP Capacity; -25% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Charismatic
Cuts Gold prices at the Blacksmith and Enchantress.
- Stat Changes
- -15% Gold cost at the Blacksmith and Enchantress
- Gold Bonus
- -
Clownanthropy
Trades health for safe Spin Kicks off terrain.
- Stat Changes
- -30% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Clumsy
Breaks touchable objects on contact.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Combative
Boosts weapon damage at the cost of health.
- Stat Changes
- +50% Weapon Damage; -25% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Compulsive Hoarder
Makes eligible Relics appear as Twin Relics.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Crippling Intellect
Trades health and weapon damage for automatic mana recovery.
- Stat Changes
- -50% HP; -50% Weapon Damage
- Gold Bonus
- -
Disattuned / Only Heart
Shrinks the hitbox to the heart and lowers health.
- Stat Changes
- -25% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Emotional Dysregularity / Overcompensation
Doubles spell damage and mana costs.
- Stat Changes
- +100% Mana Cost; +100% Spell Damage
- Gold Bonus
- -
Endomorph
Reduces the Heir's reaction to hits.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Festive
Adds Winter-themed enemies and props.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Forgetful
Makes dropped items disappear after a short time.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Fun-Guy/Gal
Turns health drops into mushrooms and changes the Heir's size when hit.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Hero Complex
Doubles health but blocks healing.
- Stat Changes
- +100% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Histrionic
Distorts the numbers shown on screen.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Hollow Bones
Makes the Heir fall slowly.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Hypercoagulation / Super Healer
Regenerates health while lowering maximum health after hits.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Hypergonadism
Sends enemies farther away with melee hits.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
IBS
Adds random farts that can damage nearby enemies.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
IIB Muscle Fibers / High Jumper
Hold Jump to launch much higher.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Inter-dimensional
Lets most projectiles pass through walls.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Kanganthropy
Increases Spin Kick damage but makes the Heir bounce higher.
- Stat Changes
- +150% Spin Kick Damage
- Gold Bonus
- -
Limitless
Removes the mana overcharge limit but increases damage taken while overcharged.
- Stat Changes
- Infinite Mana Overcharge; +50% Damage Taken while Overcharged
- Gold Bonus
- -
Medium
Adds Halloween-themed enemies and props.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Methemoglobinemia / Blue
Turns the Heir blue.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Minimalist / Breaker
Restores mana when objects are broken.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Nature
Changes the Heir's description text without changing gameplay.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Spelunker
Reveals all chests at the cost of health.
- Stat Changes
- -10% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Superfluid
Allows dashes in any direction at lower health.
- Stat Changes
- -20% HP
- Gold Bonus
- -
Super IBS
Replaces the Talent with a damaging upward fart.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
True Rogue
Turns resource pickups into Resolve in True Rogue mode.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- -
Vampirism
Converts weapon damage into healing while greatly increasing damage taken.
- Stat Changes
- Heal for 20% of Weapon Damage; +125% Damage Taken
- Gold Bonus
- -
Gold Bonus
+25%
Alexithymia / Unempathetic
Hides damage numbers and boss health bars.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Associative Agnosia
Shows enemies as black silhouettes.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Cartographer
Reveals rooms and chests but hides your map marker.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Exhausted
Adds cooldowns to spells and Talents.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
C.I.P.
Hides the Heir's health display.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Colorblind
Removes color from the screen.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Contrarian / Innovator
Randomizes the Heir's Weapon and Talent.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Dyspraxia / Butter Fingers
Causes items to fly away when collected.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Dwarfism
Shrinks the Heir and Weapon hitboxes.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Ectomorph
Knocks the Heir farther back when hit.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
FMF Fan
A free +25% Gold Bonus with no gameplay downside.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Gigantism
Enlarges the Heir, Weapon, and some spells.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Masochism
Restores mana when hit but blocks mana recovery from attacks.
- Stat Changes
- Gain 50% Mana when hit; cannot regain Mana from attacks
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Muscle Weakness
Makes enemies barely react when hit.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Nostalgic
Adds an old-film tint and record-like audio.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Paranoid / Exploding Chests
Makes chests drop explosives.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Puritan
Censors enemies and can hide attack telegraphs.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Synesthesia
Adds colored trails to moving objects.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +25%
Gold Bonus
+50%
Algesia
Removes the short invincibility window after a hit.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
Compulsive Gambling / Lootbox Addict
Makes chests the only Gold source and varies their value.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
Exploding Casket Syndrome
Makes defeated enemies leave explosives.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
FND / Stressed
Disarms the Heir briefly after taking damage.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
Panic Attacks
Darkens the screen briefly when the Heir is hit.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
Perfectionist
Only Skill Crits damage enemies.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +50%
Gold Bonus
+75%
Diva
Darkens the screen and spotlights the Heir and enemies.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +75%
Vegan
Makes health drops hurt instead of heal.
- Stat Changes
- Health drops deal damage equal to their normal healing value
- Gold Bonus
- +75%
Gold Bonus
+150%
Pacifier
Allows attacks while keeping Pacifist's health penalty and Gold Bonus.
- Stat Changes
- -60% HP
- Gold Bonus
- +150%
Pacifist
Prevents damage while preserving knockback and Trick Wall access.
- Stat Changes
- -60% HP
- Gold Bonus
- +150%
Gold Bonus
+200%
One-Hit Wonder / Fragile
Makes any actual damage fatal.
- Stat Changes
- -
- Gold Bonus
- +200%
What Are Traits in Rogue Legacy 2?
Traits are the personal details that set one heir apart from the next, and they can change almost anything about a run. An heir with Gigantism is oversized, one with Hollow Bones falls slowly, and Nostalgic gives the whole game an old-film tint.
Many traits come with a trade-off. A boost to your hero often comes with a cost somewhere else, such as losing health or the ability to attack. The good and bad sides usually come as a pair, so the real question is whether the drawback is one you can live with.
How to Get Traits From Your Heirs
You don't buy or unlock traits in a menu. They stay with the heir you're playing for the whole run, and each new heir brings a fresh mix. That means every run starts with a different set of strengths and weaknesses to work with.
How Gold Bonuses Work for Traits
Some traits come with a gold bonus, which raises all the gold you earn during that run. You spend that gold on Manor upgrades and other permanent unlocks, so a bigger bonus helps you grow stronger between lives.
Bonuses run from +25% up to +200%, and plenty of traits have no gold bonus at all. The +25% traits are the mildest, and many of them only change how the game looks. Bigger bonuses usually come with harsher drawbacks: traits at +50% and higher can make a run much harder, such as cutting your health sharply or stopping you from dealing damage.
Best Rogue Legacy 2 Traits to Pick
If you want a safe start, FMF Fan is the standout. It adds a 25% gold bonus and has no downside, which makes it an easy pick in almost any run.
Colorblind and Nostalgic are also easy to live with. They only change how the game looks, and each adds the same 25% gold bonus.
For the biggest payoff, One-Hit Wonder, also called Fragile, is the toughest trait in the game. Any damage kills your heir outright, but its gold bonus is +200%, the biggest of any trait.
If you spend a lot of gold at the Blacksmith and Enchantress, Charismatic is worth a look. It doesn't add any gold, but it cuts gold prices at both by 15%.
As a general rule, pick gold traits whose drawbacks you can work around, and go easy on the biggest bonuses until you know how a trait feels in play.
FAQ
How do I turn Pacifist into Pacifier in Rogue Legacy 2?
Pick up a weapon at a Curio Shoppe, and the trait changes from Pacifist to Pacifier. Your heir can then deal damage again, and the gold bonus stays.
Can Nerdy Glasses remove visual traits like Colorblind or Nostalgic?
Yes. That relic removes the effects of visual traits such as Colorblind and Nostalgic, so the screen looks normal again.
What does the Antique trait do?
It starts your heir with a random relic. Relics still cost Resolve to equip, so you'll pay that cost for the one you get.
Is Compulsive Gambling worth it in Rogue Legacy 2?
It gives a +50% gold bonus, but chests become your only source of gold. Each chest pays anywhere from 0% to 350% of its value, so one can come up empty and the next can pay out big. Whether it's worth it depends on how much you enjoy that kind of swing.