How does the Tome of Traits work in Teamfight Tactics (TFT)?

One of the hardest parts of Teamfight Tactics (TFT) is getting all the right synergies in order to make your team strong enough to destroy your enemy’s board. You rely on your traits to do a lot of this for you. However, that goal becomes a lot easier if you get a trait item that helps fill out your trait buffs. A great way to do this is with the Tome of Traits, a tricky little item that gives you four randomized trait items. How does this item work and can you make it give you the perfect traits?

All about the Tome of Traits

What:

Tome of Traits is a droppable item that gives you four different trait items that can add new stackable traits to your board. For example, you can add a Swiftshot trait to Nidalee to give her bonus range and give Varus some synergy in an all-Astral build. These items are random but they can be complete game-changers with buffing your units. Other times, though, they can feel random and throw wrenches in your plans. After all, a random Evoker trait is pretty annoying to have on a full-Mirage Warrior build.

How:

When you get the Tome of Traits, it’s pretty easy to use. Once it spawns on your bench, you pick up the Tome of Traits and move it to the bottom of the screen. This is just like how you might sell a champion unit. Then, when you drop it, you should be offered four different traits. Click on one and it’ll pop out and onto your bench. They will not always be traits that you want, as the options are randomized among all traits in the game (except unique traits like Dragon, Bard, etc.).

Related: All New Traits in Teamfight Tactics (TFT) Set 7: Dragonlands

When:

If you’re looking for a Tome of Traits, they either drop during the monster rounds in an orb or you can get an augment that gives you 1-2 Tome of Traits. These events only happen during certain rounds:

• 1-2 (Minions)
• 1-3 (Minions)
• 1-4 (Minions/Augment)
• 2-7 (Krugs)
• 3-3 (Augment)
• 3-7 (Murk Wolves)
• 4-6 (Augment)
• 4-7 (Dragon Shrine Treasure)
• 5-7 (Test of Valor)
• 6-7 (Rift Herald)
• 7-7 (Elder Dragon)

In Hyper Roll, the augment turns become 3-1, 5-2, and 7-2.

Is there a trick to the Tome of Traits?

While there’s no way to make the Tome of Traits give you the exact trait that you’re looking for, there are ways to increase the probability of getting usable traits for your build. As described by Riot Mort on Twitter, after Patch 12.3 they modified the Tome of Traits to have probability rules that you can play around with. Depending on the amount of active and inactive traits on your board units, you will get better odds of tailored options. For the exact stats:

• 0-4 traits = full random
• 5-6 traits = 1 trait tailored to your board
• 7-8 traits = 2 traits tailored to your board
• 9-10 traits = 3 traits tailored to your board
• 11+ traits = all 4 traits tailored to your board

So, while this doesn’t mean you need to make a team with a-dozen-or-so-odd traits, it does mean that Tome of Traits is much more effective if you save it for later in the game than early on. Otherwise, you’re much more likely to get random traits that aren’t useful to you. However, you still can’t force the Tome of Traits to give you the most useful traits, like giving you a fifth Canoneer for a Revel Canoneer build. You could end up with a random third Mystic instead. You just have to play the probability game the best you can and hope it works out. If it does, your team might be unstoppable.