There are a number of ways to boost your player in NHL 22 World of CHEL and EASHL, starting from Zone and Superstar abilities which will be your main advantages and signature skills.
Combining your attributes, abilities, and traits will help you address potential weaknesses or emphasize your strengths to create the best possible player. However, since there are only two Boost slots and over 20 traits to choose from, there are a lot of important decisions to be made.
Let’s go over the best traits for online competition in NHL 22 and their effects on your player.
How to Unlock Player Traits in NHL 22
At the beginning of your campaign, you will only have a Zone ability and a few basic boosts to choose from. You need to play the game and keep advancing to unlock new boosts.
You can unlock boosts and the best Superstar X-Factor abilities when you reach a new level. Every time you level up, you’ll gain a few boosts and usually one Superstar ability. I recommend blasting through the ProAm chapters to progress quickly and unlock as many traits and abilities as you can. Just finishing the first two chapters (Rising the Ranks and Lead the Alumni) will get you to level 10 and unlock a lot of things in the process.
The Best Player Traits in NHL 22
Below is a list of my favorite traits in NHL 22. Keep in mind that equipping any of these traits in World of CHEL will require you to have certain attributes. For example, to equip the Defensive Shield trait, you’ll need to have at least 70 Defensive Awareness.
To make sure you can equip a trait, you can always adjust your NHL 22 attributes and create the best NHL build.
The same goes for X-Factor abilities: each one will have an attribute requirement that you can boost manually or with traits. That’s how players build the best NHL 22 loadouts in the game.
The Best Offensive Traits
Starting off the best offensive traits, we have Offensive Timing. This trait will give you a +4 Hand-Eye boost. To equip Offensive Timing, you’ll need to have an Offensive Awareness rating of at least 80, which will be the case for most offensive players, regardless of their build.
More importantly, having a boost to your Hand-Eye attribute will give you a chance to get the One Tee Superstar ability, which is one of the best X-Factors in NHL 22.
Another offensive trait worth looking at is Steady Hands: it will give you a +2 boost in Puck Control and prepare you for Make it Snappy, which is another powerful X-Factor. To unlock this trait, you’ll need 74 Balance.
Controlled Passing is an offensive trait you need to look into if you’re a playmaker. It will give you a +4 boost to Passing and enable you to go for two of the best playmaking X-Factors: Send It and Tape to Tape. To get Controlled Passing, you’ll a Puck Control rating of at least 80. You can also go for the Quick Passing trait which does the same thing (+4 Passing) but requires 80 Hand-Eye to equip.
Other useful offensive traits are Core or Unbreakable Strength, Durable Skating, and Steady Strides. Since Acceleration and Speed are so expensive to get by adjusting your attributes, using traits might be the best way to get them.
The Best Defensive Traits
One of the best defensive traits you need to consider is Booming Hits. This trait will give you a +4 boost to Body Checking, an important defensive attribute. The increase in Body Checking will also qualify you for the Truculence X-Factor ability that will increase your chances of knocking over offensive players and sapping their energy.
Quick Stick is also a great trait to equip, and one you will get quite early on. It will give you a +4 boost to Stick Checking. Although stick checking isn’t the best way to dispossess someone in NHL 22, defensive stick abilities are still important and they’ll make you a better, more consistent defender. More importantly, increasing your Stick Checking will qualify you for the Stick ’em up X-Factor, one of the best defensive abilities in the game.
Other defensive traits to consider are Positional or Disciplined IQ, Defensive or Tenacious Shield, and Core Balance.
Final Word
The best traits for World of CHEL and other online competitions will depend on your playing style and loadout. You need to focus on your specialty and build a player able to perform as a part of a well-rounded team.
That means coordinating with your teammates to complement each other’s playing style and create the best combo.
Use traits to boost certain attributes that will help you equip the best X-Factors and progress towards your perfect player archetype.
