The world of NFTs can be overwhelming at times. This new crypto sensation changed the way we looked at tokens and made it possible to combine art with blockchain, but how did that happen?
Each NFT you see is a specially designed asset that has a lot of traits or attributes, but that’s not the entire meaning of the NFT collection. The traits every NFT has can determine its value, price, and popularity, and as such the traits are extremely important for every successful NFT project.
So, if you are ready to discover everything about NFT traits and pick up on a few ideas that make NFT projects popular, keep on reading. We’ll find out what makes some NFTs more successful than others and teach you how to check the rarity of each token before you make any investments.
Let’s get started!
Attributes of NFTs
NFTs are non-fungible tokens that are taking over the art and crypto community like a storm. To fully understand what makes them so good and unique we have to go over some of the basic attributes that make NFTs what they are.
This will help you comprehend the term “NFT trait” which we’ll later explore and give you amazing insight into the NFT universe that is constantly expanding. So, these are the main attributes every NFT has:
Indivisibility
The inability to divide an NFT into smaller tokens is one of the most important attributes. Owners of the NFT have the entire token or none at all. So the ownership is not divided, and thus the rarity of every token and its value are increased.
Uniqueness
By being non-fungible and indivisible, NFTs are by default unique. The fungibility means you can trade one asset with a similar asset, for example, ten $10 bills for one $100 bill. NFTs on the other hand have increased value because they are unique and non-fungible.
Ownership
Only one person can own one NFT, making this one of the most important aspects of the token. Along with uniqueness and indivisibility, this attribute can add to the popularity, value, and price of the NFT.
Authenticity
As NFTs represent real-world assets it’s important for them to have authenticity. Every NFT has a detailed history stored on the blockchain and ensures verification during the exchange or trading process.
Rarity
The final and for us, the most important aspect of any NFT is the rarity that can be increased or decreased by the NFT traits. Some NFTs are rarer than others simply because they have traits that are present in only a few pieces of the same collection.
This is why using high-quality and efficient rarity tools can help you determine the value of each NFT and predict the price.
What Are Traits?
NFT traits can be defined as specific properties each NFT has.
If you take the most popular NFT on the market Bored Ape Yacht Club you will notice that traits are available in the description on OpenSea and usually revolve around the background, body parts, eyes, clothing, and accessories.
Traits are building blocks for every NFT, especially the PFP NFTs (or profile photos NFTs), but they are not actual blocks but rather elements that come together to make the end result a unique design.
Considering traits are not distributed evenly in the same collection and come with different levels of rarity, the ending NFTs will have different traits, values, and prices at the end. Rare traits that just a couple of digital assets have increased the rarity and the value of the NFT.
If we take BAYC as an example the trait “Solid Gold Fur” is rare and thus the NFT who has solid gold fur will be more popular and expensive.
What Are NFT Trait Groups?
NFT traits can be divided into trait groups and sub-traits. The mentioned BAYC NFT has trait groups that describe the background, clothes, earrings, eyes, fur, hat, and mouth.
These trait groups might not always be unique. Considering many projects start from a common base. That’s why it’s important to understand the uniqueness of sub-traits.
What Are NFT Sub-Traits?
NFT sub-traits are the ultimate building characteristics that separate one NFT from another. If we take a closer look at the popular Invisible Friends NFT you will notice trait groups like background, bag, ears, and others but on the other hand, you can also see the sub-traits.
In that list you’ll see how frequently a trait is used in that collection. So, even though there are 5,000 invisible friends, only one is in the bathroom background.
But, some rare sub-traits are more popular than others, depending on the audience and the buyers of the NFTs. So, the true value and the price of each NFT are a result of many factors.
The Most Popular Traits
Over the years some NFT projects determined the path other creators took, and there are a few traits everyone likes to use when creating their NFTs. While this might be a good way to get inspired and start your own digital collection, it’s also the reason why so many NFT projects look the same.
The list of popular traits changes all the time. Depending on the latest NFT project on the market and the most popular ones in general. Cyber Kongz have some of the most common traits, but also some additional ones that make them unique and valuable.
Here are the most common NFT traits to consider:
- Background
- Body
- Facial Features
- Clothes
- Hair
- Eyes
- Ears
- Mouth
- Earring/Piercing
- Hat/Head Gear
- Accessories
Depending on the number of attributes each NFT is unique even though many of them have similar traits. This formula for success is usually determined by the latest trends and the most hyped NFT projects on the market, however, there are always some NFTs that break the rules such as Crypto Punks with just two traits.
How Many Traits Should an NFT Have?
Depending on the NFT project, team, developers, the number of items and traits in a collection may vary.
Most successful NFT projects are based on a simple rule that 10,000 NFT items have a minimum of 7 trait groups and 150 sub-traits. This way the collections are not overwhelmed or too simple to attract viewers and buyers.
But, what makes the most difference are the rare traits. With uneven distribution of sub-traits, you will have NFTs that are very rare and thus popular and expensive.
One of the most expensive NFTs ever sold was the Bored Ape Yacht Club #8817 for over $3 million dollars at one point.
This item is considered rare and valuable because of the combination of rare sub-traits such as:
- Wool turtleneck
- Solid gold fur
- Bored party horn
- Spinner hat
So, even though there are no limits to the number of traits an NFT can have, there are some numbers that work better.
In addition, some collections have 1/1 NFTs that are considered Legendary because they are ultra-rare and exist only once.
Why do Traits Matter?
NFTs are amazing investment opportunities for creators and buyers, so it’s important to have NFT collections that are unique, valuable, and interesting. Almost all NFT collections that are popular today have been hyped even before the project launched because they had some rare traits that everyone could possibly get.
So, it’s important to attract the audience with interesting design and make it look inaccessible to boost the demand and price.
It’s exciting to own something that is different and rare. No matter if we are discussing a Picasso painting or popular NFT. It’s the buzz and the status around those rare art pieces that give them value.
How to Check Traits?
It can be overwhelming to try and calculate the rarity of any NFT based on the traits, so the best way to make sure you are investing in the right projects is to use NFT rarity tools.
It’s simple to use and gives you the opportunity to research any NFT project before you make an investment.
It’s also a good idea to stay in the loop and be aware of all the popular traits if you are making your own NFT collection.
While it’s crucial to be different and unique it’s also smart to follow the trends and implement successful NFT strategies.