What skills to invest points in?

[Doom MD]

Not sure what’s best to spend them on. Just finished the first map

[Sjonnar]

Lockpicking. Backpack size. Hacking when it comes available. Weaponry if you want to use the Skynet rifles or want more damage.

Don't waste points on the XP boost. I'm on the Back to Pasadena mission and I'm already lv13. Max level is 28. I doubt I'm halfway through the game. Better not be, anyway.

[Delta_BOSS]

Originally posted by Doom MD:

Not sure what’s best to spend them on. Just finished the first map

XP Boost is always my first.
Then I'd go with the others in the order I need them until I reach XP Boost 2
Backpack 2 and 3 aren't necessary right away as crafting items gives XP.
Craft bombs, take care of the turrets, 'cause you get more XP destroying the turrets.
Terminators: deal with them with sniper, once you have one.
Once you're in the resistance hideout, the first time or second time you can buy Rocket Luncher, after rescuing the scientist where an Aerial HK chases you, so make sure to have Explosive skills to recover bombs and deal more damage with rockets.

I didn't max out the skills yet: I'm sure I'm missing one book. So in the end, better to leave Crafting 5 alone, 'cause 50% Damage Resistance & Health Regeneration is a bit more important.

Don't waste on Sneak until you have Lockpicking 3, Hacking 3, Demolition 3, and some others.

You can even destroy 1 or 2 terminators in the hospital with explosives before finding prisoners. At least 1 with dynamite and the plasma container altogether.

[🎇TYPHOON🎇]

Most important skill is your weapons-skill. Then hacking, lockpick, backpack, toughness, maybe crafting. Everything else is completely irrelevant. Especially the XP boost. It's completely useless. XP boost is for people who sneak around the machines, instead of destroying them.

[JamaicanDave]

So far I've found Weapon skill, Lock picking and Backpack to be the most useful. Hacking, Demolitions, Toughness aren't bad either. Stealth probably not that important and found no need for either Crafting or the XP boost as items and XP are pretty plentiful.

[Delta_BOSS]

XP Boost gives boost to everything you do, shooting down Skynet robots, destroying turrets, crafting items, destroying plasma containers, completing missions.

I just found out that the the mission in the hospital that encourages stealth becomes so much easier, rewarding, and less stressful by preparing handful of pipe bombs:

You need 2 pipe bombs to destroy a terminator at this point. Taking down idled terminators if they are spread out is easy. On your way out of the hospital, when Skynet sends more, make sure to throw pipe bombs that affect multiple terminators in range, so you save on resources, get more XP, and more items and chips. I was short on pipe bombs, I left 1 terminator fully operational, and 2 damaged when I left the map - and it was my first attempt to this strategy.

Jennifer says normal weapons are ineffective on Terminators. She doesn't say Pipe Bombs...

Sell your small weapons before Hospital mission, keep the M16 and Shotgun. Craft and buy pipe bombs (until you have 20 +).

So, by the time you enter hospital to check out the screams, you should have XP Boost 1 (at least) and 2, Explosion 1, Lockpicking 1 (& 2), Crafting 1 (pipe bombs). Backpack 1 may be essential, the others can wait.

By the time you get your first plasma rifle from Baron, Weapon 1 & 2

The more machines you destroy, the more XP you get. If you worry about Weapon skill, don't. You'll get extra skill points from Skill Books and extra XP from crafting pipe bombs! Everything falls in place.

XP Boost (1st, 6th, 12th skill points from leveling)
Lock picking 1 (2&3: when you encounter a certain lock difficulty for first time)
Crafting 1 for Pipe Bombs (no much need after, focus on toughness 5 instead of Crafting 5)
Explosion 1 & 2 (hospital)
Backpack 1 (2&3 can wait, manage your backpack, make space - sell what you don't need)
Hacking (1 upon first Easy Hack - destroying turrets = more XP than hacking)
Weapon skill 1&2 (more focus when you get your first plasma riffle from Baron)
Toughness (progressive)
Stealth

[🎇TYPHOON🎇]

Originally posted by Delta_BOSS:

XP Boost gives boost to everything you do, shooting down Skynet robots, destroying...

Wow, this guy has absolutely no clue about the game. Sounds like a beginner trying his first steps, really.

The hospital level is completely irrelevant. Just sneak through it as fast as possible and don't waste your time and bombs to destroy any of the terminators. One can be destroyed quickly by blowing up the plasma container next to him, but other than that, just rush through and be done with it. You'll get plenty of xp later when fighting armies of machines.

XP boost is a waste of skill points. Most important is weapons, so you can always sport the best guns. Explosive are effective even without putting skill points in it. Level up weapons, lockpick and hacking. You don't even need toughness, if you are a good player.

[Delta_BOSS]

Originally posted by TYPHOON:

Originally posted by Delta_BOSS:

XP Boost gives boost to everything you do, shooting down Skynet robots, destroying...
:_banana_:
:_banana_:
:_banana_:

Wow, this guy has absolutely no clue about the game. Sounds like a beginner trying his first steps, really.

The hospital level is completely irrelevant. Just sneak through it as fast as possible and don't waste your time and bombs to destroy any of the terminators. One can be destroyed quickly by blowing up the plasma container next to him, but other than that, just rush through and be done with it. You'll get plenty of xp later when fighting armies of machines.

XP boost is a waste of skill points. Most important is weapons, so you can always sport the best guns. Explosive are effective even without putting skill points in it. Level up weapons, lockpick and hacking. You don't even need toughness, if you are a good player.

And what's the game if you're that "expert"?

[ssj_dyson]

I maxed out Weaponry, Hacking, XP Boost, Health and Backpack. You'll need to Max out your Weaponry in order to use things like Violet powered weapons, and highly recommend always scavenging dead machines. The plasma rifle I used at the end of the game was taking out T-47's like they were water balloons blown up by a shotgun at close range.

[Delta_BOSS]

Originally posted by ssj_dyson:

I maxed out Weaponry, Hacking, XP Boost, Health and Backpack. You'll need to Max out your Weaponry in order to use things like Violet powered weapons, and highly recommend always scavenging dead machines. The plasma rifle I used at the end of the game was taking out T-47's like they were water balloons blown up by a shotgun at close range.

Yes. Plasma Rifle V-24B Scoped with extra 120% damage (chips 3x 40%).
Everything can be maxed out. Depends the way you want to play it: maxing out sooner or later? If you find all skill books.

[Grifman]

Originally posted by TYPHOON:

Originally posted by Delta_BOSS:

XP Boost gives boost to everything you do, shooting down Skynet robots, destroying...
:_banana_:
:_banana_:
:_banana_:

Wow, this guy has absolutely no clue about the game. Sounds like a beginner trying his first steps, really.

Actually, it just sounds like he likes to play differently than you do. There are many different approaches to how you handle situations in the game - there is NO one way. Some may like stealth, some may like bombs, some may like big guns. It's great that the game lets people play how they want to.

[waldo1984]

Eh. I just finished the game, and quite honestly, Weapons was *not* my primary skill and IMO, didn't need to be. I am *always* the guy who takes weapons skills before anything else, EVER, on just about every video game, but not this time. I played on Hard difficulty, so maybe there's an actual challenge on Extreme, but the first half of the game was faceroll-level easy for me. Even without without the damage bonus, I was sleepwalking through the first half of the game, and I'm a 52-year old man with terrible reflexes; the vast majority of you would likely have a MUCH easier time than I did). The second half is a less of a cakewalk, but still isn't what you'd call hard.

You only need Weapons 3 for the first gen plasma rifle. and those don't show up for a while, from what I recall. You definitely need it when they do show up, though, and towards the end of the game when the second gen rifles show up, you need level 5, but that's quite a ways off. You also don't need to buy anything, btw; assuming you scavenge anything, you'll be overflowing with all the weapons and ammo you'll ever need.

For me, the first skills I ended up getting were Lockpicking and Hacking. Both let you get into places you won't always be able to reach otherwise. Hacking, especially, becomes critical in a few situations, and being able to reprogram a turret to blast Terminators can be pretty funny.

For my playthrough, Stealth and Crafting were *completely* worthless. The Terminators *cannot* find you, period, unless you stand in front of them and stay there. As for Crafting, if you scavenge, you'll be overflowing with ammo, grenades, weapons, etc. I crafted maybe a dozen lockpicks, but ended the game with 34. I crafted some a few hundred units of violet plasma ammo, but ended with 4,429. Ditto with rockets; I was able to buy enough that I ended with 39 laser guided missiles, and that's after using a few dozen.

I would suggest foregoing Toughness. Buying that was a mistake, I think. At level 5, you essentially *are* a Terminator, but more of a movie-level Terminator, because you pretty much can't be killed unless you royally screw up, whereas the Terminators in the game are pretty fragile (with a certain exception, and even that one is pretty vulnerable to a sniper rifle). As I mentioned, I'm not great at these games, so there were a few times I stumbled into a crowd of 3-4 T-800's and similar models, and they'd be blasting away at me before I got a single shot off. Unless I got within arm's reach (which triggers a cut scene where you instantly die), I always managed to kill off all the Terminators without dying myself (and I had a few dozen of the big health kits, too, so it's not like there was any danger). Maybe 1-2 levels at the *very* end of the game, but otherwise, it absolutely kills the challenge (not that there's a lot to begin with, of course).

I got the Fast Learner skill early on, but yeah, I'd agree that one was worthless. I went through most of the game with 3-6 skill points "banked," spending them as I encountered obstacles, and the only ones that I really felt a compelling need to purchase were Lockpicking, Hacking, Backpack (because I'm a hoarder), and Explosives (for disarming laser mines).

YMMV, obviously, but that was my experience.

[Delta_BOSS]

Originally posted by waldo1984:

Eh. I just finished the game, and quite honestly, Weapons was *not* my primary skill and IMO, didn't need to be. I am *always* the guy who takes weapons skills before anything else, EVER, on just about every video game, but not this time. I played on Hard difficulty, so maybe there's an actual challenge on Extreme, but the first half of the game was faceroll-level easy for me.

Extreme difficulty isn't that hard. Maybe damage taken is higher, but that might be about it, or maybe the AI shoots less accurately in lower difficulty...

Originally posted by waldo1984:

You only need Weapons 3 for the first gen plasma rifle.

Only for Skynet Terminator version, the one that overheats after couple of shots. The Plasma Rifle you are given by Baron doesn't require those skills, but you do take them for the bonuses... In the end, using the Gen 2 Plasma Rifle V-24B scoped with 120% damage bonus is best to take down anything.

Originally posted by waldo1984:

You also don't need to buy anything, btw; assuming you scavenge anything, you'll be overflowing with all the weapons and ammo you'll ever need.

For different play and highest level start:
You can level up faster by crafting. So you need to find resources - most of them. Once you're out of resources, buy from the store/trade and craft again. Sell regular ammo and weapons, and buy resources. Craft while you're on mission. Mostly Pipe Bombs at the beginning. So Crafting 1 is a must to take down the Terminators in the hospital and the patrols outside (with Pipe Bombs). Explosion 1 & 2 may come handy. I was able to get the Plasma Rifle from Baron at Lv 12, and after talk in the shelter right after I leveled to 13.

Getting 2 Skill Books by then, level 12 is the highest level after completing the mission in Medical District. 13 once you escape the ambush.

So, everything falls back in place as you can spare extra skill points on whatever you want.

Originally posted by waldo1984:

For me, the first skills I ended up getting were Lockpicking and Hacking. Both let you get into places you won't always be able to reach otherwise.

You don't need Hacking 1 in Hospital with all the T-800 , 'cause all security systems are Very Easy.

Originally posted by waldo1984:

For my playthrough, Stealth and Crafting were *completely* worthless. The Terminators *cannot* find you, period, unless you stand in front of them and stay there.

Crafting 1 only, from beginning, helps to level up faster. 2 to 5 can wait until extra points. Stealth: no need of skill points there. It can wait...

Originally posted by waldo1984:

I would suggest foregoing Toughness. Buying that was a mistake, I think. At level 5, you essentially *are* a Terminator, but more of a movie-level Terminator, because you pretty much can't be killed unless you royally screw up, whereas the Terminators in the game are pretty fragile (with a certain exception, and even that one is pretty vulnerable to a sniper rifle).

On Extreme difficulty, Toughness 5 doesn't make you feel like a Terminator. The hits you take makes HP go down quickly, so it slows down the inevitable so you can recover without using medkits. And if you get spotted by HK and it unloads missiles, it's instant death if you don't take GOOD cover.

For beginning, not much need of it unless extra points to spare, so better on this one than stealth.

Originally posted by waldo1984:

Backpack (because I'm a hoarder), and Explosives (for disarming laser mines).

Backpack can wait if you craft to gain extra XP at the beginning.

In the end, all those small extra points you get from crafting, destroying Terminators with Pipe Bombs, destroying turrets for more XP, gets you faster to Lv 28. It's a choice.

Beside, in my first playthrough I upgraded Backpack quite fast and ended up with tons of materials I didn't use, because I didn't craft as much. Which felt pointless. But even if you save materials for selling in the end, selling crafted items is more rewarding.

So I changed my gameplay to make full use of those items and I prefer that way: no Terminator left behind.

[Grifman]

Buy the missile launcher and take out HK's. They give 1500 XP per kill.

[Grifman]

Originally posted by Delta_BOSS:

Originally posted by Grifman:

Buy the missile launcher and take out HK's. They give 1500 XP per kill.

All weapons can be found, no need of purchase, and missile launcher is available before being offered at the shop. Just need to look well and explore a bit.

Interesting. I explore a lot and have found several weapons before they would be otherwise available, but missed that one. Just curious, where can you find it? That said, finding or purchasing it was not my point but the additional XP that can be gained by shooting down HK's.

Edit, I just found one in Hunting Season, but I could buy one right before that mission. Is there one that you can find earlier?

[Sabaithal]

Lockpicking first. Then probably crafting, hacking, backpack, ect.

I only upgraded weapons to use skynet rifles, but they aren't needed as the first resistance plasma rifle you get has no requirements and is pretty early on in the story.

Terminator knives are more useful anyway, so crafting is the way I would go.