Questions for a skill build

[Snowcrash000]

First off, I'm not playing the SCE, so I have to contend with a level cap, which is 36 with both DLC, I think? Coming from Fallout 3, the skill system works very differently. It's fairly easy to max all of your skills in FO3, while I think you would be lucky to max 4-5 in TOW.

So I'm wondering which skills are most worth maxing and when to stop putting points into certain skills. So far, I've gone with the approach of getting every skill class (except Melee and Defense) to 50, but where do I go from there?

How many points do I need in Lockpick and Hack? Is it worth it to raise multiple Dialog and Tech skills or should I stick to one? Which one? Is any skill worth raising to 150? Most of the final skill abilities seem pretty meh to me.

I originally did not want to put any point in Leadership, but the Inspiration 60 ability seems too good to pass up. Worth it or should I just save points in Leadership and put them into other skills? I could save about 50 skill points this way, but the Inspiration 60 ability should give me about 90 bonus points, right?

Also, what is the best combination of companions for skill bonuses?

[Sukhoi Su-35S]

The leadership and melee skills are dump stats unless you're specifically building for those. I go for persuasion at 70, lying at 60 and intimidation at 60. Lockpicking is boosted to 100, hacking is at 50 and stealth is at 50. The companions I always go with are Parvati and Max.

[Snowcrash000]

Originally posted by Sukhoi Su-35S:

The leadership and melee skills are dump stats unless you're specifically building for those. I go for persuasion at 70, lying at 60 and intimidation at 60. Lockpicking is boosted to 100, hacking is at 50 and stealth is at 50. The companions I always go with are Parvati and Max.

Inspiration 60 gives you a TON of extra skill bonuses with two companions wearing skill gear. I'm sure it could be argued that it's one of the best skills in the game just for that.

[Du-Vu]

150 in any given skill is mostly used for solving quests through dialogue in the late game and dlc, and for unlocking unique items in the case of lockpicking and hacking.

I feel like you’re mostly likely only going to max out maybe 2 or 3 skills if you try. Maybe more if you’re willing to tank the rest.

[withered]

I learnt that respecification machine on the ship carries a lot of meaning, mostly at the last few missions. Speech and lie is needed at the very end so id say these two are a bit more important. But still - you can do everything with respec strat. All it takes is a bit of time to get to the ship when different stat is needed. Of course the easiest thing is to level up, but that takes a lot of time and its not worth it.

[Du-Vu]

You don’t need every speech or leadership skill at endgame (science and barter can also work, iirc), but if you’re going for that kind of victory, those skills do need to be topped up.

[Sukhoi Su-35S]

Originally posted by Snowcrash000:

Originally posted by Sukhoi Su-35S:

The leadership and melee skills are dump stats unless you're specifically building for those. I go for persuasion at 70, lying at 60 and intimidation at 60. Lockpicking is boosted to 100, hacking is at 50 and stealth is at 50. The companions I always go with are Parvati and Max.

Inspiration 60 gives you a TON of extra skill bonuses with two companions wearing skill gear. I'm sure it could be argued that it's one of the best skills in the game just for that.

I'd say lockpicking is the most valuable skill due to how ubiquitous locked doors and containers are. As for the speech skills, persuasion would be first in usefulness, with intimidation in second and lying in third.

[Du-Vu]

Eh. The weapons aren’t really that distinct, and combat is simple and cash is easy to come by. I mostly ignored most locked containers myself, and most doors have other ways through if they contain anything other than gear.

Nothing against loot or lockpicking, I’d just consider it less essential in this particular game, especially on non-stealth playthroughs.

[Sukhoi Su-35S]

Originally posted by Du-Vu:

Eh. The weapons aren’t really that distinct, and combat is simple and cash is easy to come by. I just kind of ignored most locked containers myself, and most doors have other ways through if they contain anything other than gear.

At lockpicking 100 you double the chance to find pristine gear, couple that with the fact you find more gear and soon you'll have no shortage of valuable weapons and armour. Why waste your time and bits on vendors when you don't need to?

[Du-Vu]

Why spend time and skill points on lockpicking when you don’t need to? The loot that drops on its own is more than enough to get you through without any trouble. I was never short of money or stuck in any given fight without it. I didn’t really buy much during most playthroughs either.

I’m not saying lockpicking is bad if anyone wants to use it, and I’ve had playthroughs where I did. Just that, if you’re trying to max out as many skills as possible, it’s probably best to commit to a few rather than spread out points and be looking at a bunch of, for instance, locks you can’t pick anyway. You can make do without any skill.