LogFAQs > #929331917

Playing a bit more, a few more thoughts on character creation/leveling.

First one of the important skills, lock pick, doesn't really need to be raised past 40 (Although you might as well get it to 50 if you don't have to spend points just for it...since stealth/hack both need to be boosted.

Why? Well, even without equipment, if you run with Pavaratti and Felix, and eventually get the double skills from companion bonus from inspiration, you hit 96 I think it is lockpick (without any bonuses from equipment. You could easily toss on any lock pick item to hit 100 if you ever had to (even without armor mastery). Heck you could probably hit 120 lockpick if it was possible....by wearing armor/helmet that boosts it with armor mastery.

Since the tier bonuses post 40 kinda blow (totally blow) for lockpick there is literally no reason to boost it. Even if you go with another companion (or companions) you could always swap them out briefly to just to do the few really really high difficulty locks (or just use lockpick armor instead).

Hack, hopefully (like mine) will hit 50 at the same time as lockpick....you can boost it decently with equipment, and it's another one that doesn't really add that much for higher tiers. I wouldn't personally bother boosting it over 50 until you just have extra skill points to blow.

Sneak on the other hand is both VERY important to max out (makes a huge difference in bonus damage from stealth, likelyhood of being detected and the higher tier bonuses are sweet). That is one skill you pretty much want to bring to 100, even with companions. I personally consider it the most important stat to hit 100 with because the tier bonuses are so good, you get a significant damage bonus (That stacks with everything else) and most of the rest just need high points (and are fairly easy to boost from eq/companions etc).

What about persuade you say? Well, like lockpick you get a ton of freaking bonus points, even without double bonuses from companions my persuade was 84 (with just a base 50). It's cake to get it to 100 just with companion bonuses...let alone any equipment, and honestly you don't seem to hit many high difficulty persuade checks (I think that is because I'm on normal and don't have penalties to faction reputation). 50 persuade to me seems plenty good enough until again, you just have bonus skill points.

So what else is good? Well if your using guns, 50 in guns (my highest was long guns) is obvious, and then 50 more points in whatever gun yer specializing in (again long guns). It's actually pretty hard to decide if that is more useful then boosting sneak to 50.....I'd say it certainly is if your not running with 2 companions. Maxed out you do more damage and have more crits and crits ignore armor all together (sneak attacks only ignore 50% and only on the first attack). Therefore, I think it might make sense to wait a bit on maxing sneak until you max your primary weapon first actually.

Finally inspiration 60, for the bonus to skills....probably more then pays for itself (especially if you boost it to 50 anyway...but even if not). The bonus skill points between two companions are 40+, you get extra companion damage and for the first 50 points you get extra health (which is multiplied by 1.3 if you take the bonus hp perk).

So in summary, looks like after yer done getting the useful skills to 50, you should focus on your main gun type to 100, inspiration to 60 (if you already got it to or near 50), and then sneak to 100. I believe that can be done by around level 20, leaving you 10 levels (or 100 skill points) to play around with late game.
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