Perfect Team for story and exploration playtrough

A guide about how you create the most efficient team for exploring in a story playthrough. Used correctly you won't be locked out from any important situations and options to resolve quests in different ways, though mostly positive.

I want to present you a small guide on how to create a party, with most of skills maxed and the most efficient way to get as much out of the game as possible.

Assuming you start with 4 rangers, take Rose (found in Ag Center) and Scotchmo (Rail Nomads camp , 12 charisma total required). Your party should reach level 40 before endgame.
Depending on their Intelligence, each ranger will get as many skill points as this:
(level – 1 starting level) * Intelligence modifier + 12 at creating + 17 skillpoints from statues scaterred around game (only activate them, if you have your whole team assembled, since only members of the group get a skill point from the statues).
(for precise list of statues use this forum thread[forums.inxile-entertainment.com])

For example: A ranger with intelligence 4 will have a +3 modifier, so he will get 3 skill points per level. Assuming he finds all statues and reaches level 40, he will be able to get:

(40-1) x 3 + 12 + 17 = 146 skill points (~ 140)

Maxing 1 skill requires 44 skill points. So a ranger with 4 intelligence, will be able to max 2 and half skills, right? Wrong. With this guide, I will show you how to spend your skills points in the most efficient way.

I would suggest to focus each ranger on 1 type of weapon, since weapon skills can’t be boosted by trinkets or books, so it makes them really expensive to max out. So in my guide I will present a ranger with only 1 weapon focus. The other weapon skills can be leveled from leftover points.

Here is a small help for how many skill points it will cost to buy specific skill levels.

1st - 2 skill points
2nd - 4 skill points
3rd - 6 skill points
4 - 10 sp
5 - 14 sp
6 - 18 sp
7 - 24 sp
8 - 30 sp
9 - 36 sp
10 - 44 sp

Skills will be presented like this

* Skill [most efficient number to level it up to get maxed], [other bonuses like trinkets, skillbooks]

The Rangers

1. Leader (with 4 Intelligence on 40 level, found statues will have ~ 140 skill points)

• Leadership [7 which will cost 24 skill points] +1 skillbook + 2 trinket (three headed snake)
  
• Smart Ass [9] +1 skill book
  
• Main weapon [10]

Leadership on 7 will cost 24, Smart ass on 9 will cost 36, and main weapon on 10 will cost 44 skill points.

It rounds up at 24 + 36 + 44 = 104 skill points to max out those 3 skills, which leaves you with 30+ skill points for another weapon or medic skill.


2. Second ranger (4 INT ~ 140 SP) IMPORTANT to have all these 3 skills on one character for trinket boost which adds +2 to all three.

• Toaster repair [7] +1 skill book + 2 trinket (Tool Kit)
  
• Mechanical repair [7] + 1 skill book + 2 trinket (Tool Kit)
  
• Weaponsmith [7] +1 skill book + 2 trinket
  
• Main weapon [10]

24 + 24 + 24 + 44 = 116 (leaves around 20+ for another skill)

3. Third ranger (10 INT ~ 220 SP)

• Perception [8] + 1 skill book + 1 trinket (Ali’s Rock)
  
• Demolitions [9] + 1 skill book
  
• Kiss-Ass [8] + 1 skill book + 1 (one of three trinkets)
  
• Safecrack [7]
  
• Lockpicking [7]
  
• Main Weapon [10]

Tip: Level lockpick and safecrack until the moment you recruit Scotchmo

30 + 36 + 30 + 24 + 24 + 44 = 188 (leaves ~ 30 for another skill)

4. Fourth ranger (4 INT ~ 140 SP)

• Brute Force [9]
  
• Hard-Ass [8]
  
• Outdoorsman [4]
  
• Main weapon [10]

36 + 30 + 10 + 44 = 114 (leaves 20+ skill points)

1. Rose (10 INT ~ 220 SP) (only if you choose to save Ag Center)

• Computer Science [8] + 1 book + 1 trinket (PDA, broken toy robot)
  
• Surgeon [7] +1 book + 2 trinket (Cleric’s cross)
  
• Field Medic [9] +1 trinket (Cleric’s cross)
  
• Alarm Disarming [9] +1 book
  
• Handguns [2] (already leveled, I suggest to start leveling different type of weapon and leave handguns as a secondary)
  
• Animal Whisperer [8] + 1 book +1 trinket (6-7 is enough for quests, level it more if you want to use it in battles
  
• Main weapon [10]

30 + 24 + 36 + 36 + 4 + 30 + 44 = 206 (I suggest to leave maxing out the animal whisperer skill after you max out the others, as mentioned 6-7 should be enough for quests)

2. Scotchmo (3 INT ~ 100 SP) - probably the funniest recruit ever, he is a hobo in Rail Nomads camp (I suggest get him asap to level 10 and invest 1 attribute points into Intelligence. This gives you at around 30 more skill points till reaching level 40, while doing so you end up with around 130 SP)

Also keep in mind that your party needs a total of 12 charisma so you can recruit him, and he should be a substitute for the third ranger in lockpicking and safecracking since he joins with already 2 points invested in both of them.

• Shotguns (main weapon as he start with already 6 points on it) [10]
  
• Safecracking [7-9] (depending if you find random trinket - Cat Burglar Mask, if you dont want to take chances, level it up to 9) +1 book + 1-2 (random trinkets)
  
• Lockpicking [7-9] same as above

44 + (24 OR 36) + (24 OR 36) = 92 OR 116 (92 risky version if you hope for random trinket +1 or +2, while 116 sp is safe version, depending only on skill books to be maxed out)

• if you miss charisma requirements to recruit someone, you can always boost it with trinkets (spiked collar), recruits (In example Ralphy has 4 points, you can always disband him right after your recruit Scotchmo) and honeydews (5 consumable honeydew, after bringing fertilizer to Honeydew guy in Ag Center)
  
  
• if it is possible i suggest do not recruit Angela Deth, since she will not stick around with you for long and you only waste precious exp
  
  
• I suggest put most charisma on your leader character as it increases the radius of the leadership effect
  
  
• I suggest that you do not spend all skill points right after leveling up. Always have 6-12 backup skill points in case of a situation in which you need a higher skill level and you want to level it up quickly.
  
  
• toaster repair is more important then you might think
  
  
  List of skill books[wasteland.gamepedia.com]
  
  List of trinkets[wasteland.gamepedia.com]

Huge credits to Brokusu, for editing, pointing out maths error, correcting typos and grammar - generally make it more understandable and easier to read.

[Sarhoş]

Nice guide, well done.

[ryanreynolds022289]

yeah im playing dc

[Daz]

ryan, are You playing on director's cut version? If yes then my guide might be overdated at this moment, since customizing ranger menu is different. :(

[ryanreynolds022289]

what are the starting rangers starting classic states??

[Ed130-The Vanguard]

Dump Toaster Repair, Ralphy has it and if you run through the pass with the lowest rad level (level 1) you can get him and the hobo Scotchmo before even going to Highpool or Ag Centre.

[Virian]

dzięki, na taki poradnik liczyłem :)