Best SPECIAL skills at start up

[Nite69]

I started a new playthrough and tried to balance the starting skills the best I wanted without having to waste level ups unlocking them and this is what I came up with for my favorite starting skills

STR = 3 for Armorer
PER = 2 for Rifleman
END = 1 (everything is useless on this column except for Toughness)
CHA = 5 (just to balance I can easily make it higher with clothes)
INT = 9 (You want this as high as possible for XP points at start)
AGI = 3 for sneak
LCK = 5 for idiot saviant (first skill I always choose)

what do you guys choose when you start? :)

[brian_va]

depends on what you want. low agility and endurance means almost no action or health points

[Nite69]

enemys are easy enough, and I don't need the action for VATS only for running

[Out Of Bubblegum]

Why not just play a normal, balanced character. Then you will not have to complain about how the game is too easy for your superman build. People tweak their characters into supermen using every exploit possible, then wonder why the game has no challange.

[Nite69]

Originally posted by Out Of Bubblegum:

Why not just play a normal, balanced character. Then you will not have to complain about how the game is too easy for your superman build. People tweak their characters into supermen using every exploit possible, then wonder why the game has no challange.

well true, but the point of this thread is to have the best balance of starting skills unlocked without wasting level ups on it, Just saying this works for me

if I wanted to make it harder I would just use weaker armor

[brian_va]

Originally posted by =EGC= _Nite_:

enemys are easy enough, and I don't need the action for VATS only for running

fair enough then. why not boost strength and go heavy on melee?

[MortVent]

With a high int idot savant doesn't proc much vs a low int. But high luck is still useful.

I tend to spec with a focus on unlocking key skills useful for all builds. High int, then focus on armorer, lockpicking, science and hacking. So I can work on my ranged weapons, get into places I shouldn't and have a decent boost to xp from Int.

Other than that I focus on weapons, my melee builds I boost str and end. Ranged I go for agility and luck with a bit into perception.

I also decide if I am going to do charisma for large builds or do small settlements

[Ape-tier Buffoonery]

Generally I go:

Str: 6 (For Strong back mostly but it's not a big deal to have it this high)
Per: 4 (Locksmith, and early bobble head gives me demolitions expert)
End: 3 (Tiny bit of health, Toughness is meh but so is Life giver. Oh well lol)
Cha: 3 (Lone Wanderer mostly for more weight)
Int: 4 (Hacker, and SPECIAL book point for Scrapper/tiny bit of xp)
Agi: 7 (Ninja is nice, and all the other vats perks in agi)
Luck: 1 (I never really found a huge reason to boost this. The issue is not enough points to go around and everything I want in this tree is 5+)

Yeah it doesn't level up much, but allows you to pick locks and hack computers on your own. I guess it's just my solo casual fun character to explore around with.

If I feel like building up settlements I'll put more points into charisma for obvious reasons and int for science perk and drop some str although I do miss Strong Back sometimes haha.

[Tavman (4)]

Depends on my character. Right now I'm playing unarmed but with explosives on the side. Right now I'm aiming for 9 ST, 5 PE, 7 CH and 9 IN, all without bobbleheads.

[rosshaslett]

Originally posted by Out Of Bubblegum:

Why not just play a normal, balanced character. Then you will not have to complain about how the game is too easy for your superman build. People tweak their characters into supermen using every exploit possible, then wonder why the game has no challange.

I agree 100% and I should say I play the game once with no mods and then with mods for fun

[Ryu Oki]

Currently just got back into the game and playing a character I started at 9 Cha 9 Luck. The rest were balanced for the most part though. I have since sunk a few points into other stats to squeak them up to skills I want to utilize (mostly INT so I can hack computers a bit more). Considering going idiot savant though because I won't need to go much past the 5 Int and it may proc more often still so I can get to a point where I can afford to play with the Cha Luck trees. We will see.

[Nite69]

Originally posted by MortVent:

With a high int idot savant doesn't proc much vs a low int. But high luck is still useful.

I use to think that but its not true based on my testing, high intel + idiot saviont makes XP faster then lower INT

You could reach level 15 easy before even leaving sanctuary if ya just scrapped everything and built random stuff

[Deranged Duck]

I just went full brute and had 10 strength, 10 endurance, and spent the rest into intelligence.

[Von Shadowsong]

For my main character/stealth builds:

STR = 1
PER = 4 for lockpicking
END = 5 for Aquagirl
CHA = 7
INT = 6 (I don't go higher than Robotics Expert)
AGI = 4 for sneak (though I spill points into this later on for Ninja, Quick Hands, Mister Sandman and Moving Target.
LCK = 1

Melee/unarmed

STR = 7
PER = 2
END = 5
CHA = 5
INT = 4
AGI = 2
LCK = 5 (Idiot Savant is really fun with a low-int, smash-first-and-ask-questions-later type)

My Institute gal was a combination of the two:

STR = 3
PER = 3
END = 2
CHA = 6
INT = 8
AGI = 3
LCK = 3

[Hobo Misanthropus]

STR 1
PER 8
END 3
CHR 6
INT 1
AGI 6
LCK 3


It's a pretty gimp build intentionally. Kind of a challenge build without being arbitrarily hard. (IE putting everything into CHR and PER)