wondering about a couple things

[Xoyv]

so i finally got the game working, and finally got my first wipe. while the game is fun, there's still a couple things i'm not entirely sure about

is it better to buy, craft, or scavenge equipment? i'm not talking about stuff like torches and tool kits, i'm talking about guns and armor

how important are the hunting and scavenging skills? do i need to have them high in order to get anything decent? also, what exactly does either of them determine?

how do i get more/better support icons (cover, stealth, inspire, ect)? i know that i can level myself up, but all of my companions just seem to have either silver or bronze

[ρоѕιтяои_]

You can get better support icons from nicer armor and by upgrading your speechcraft skill.

[Xoyv]

but does speechcraft jsut upgrade my icons, or everyone else's

[ρоѕιтяои_]

I was wondering about that myself? I have noticed that as I leveled up and received experience points to spend...I've also noticed that my groups skills as far as weapons and support abilities also get better but if it has to do just with leveling or with the specific skills that I choose to upgrade I'm not sure?