Skillz

[Lampros]

What are the most important skills to have?

 

And equally important: What levels do I need to be effective?

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

Some context would go a long way here ^_^. 

[Lampros]

Some context would go a long way here ^_^. 

 

LOL, for just a regular 5-man PoTD party

[Prince of Lies]

 

Some context would go a long way here ^_^. 

 

LOL, for just a regular 5-man PoTD party

 

 

He means what you plan on achieving. What's the party made up of?

 

For game mechanics:

 

Alchemy: Put points if you plan on using a lot of drugs, potions, etc. Must have for Nazpalca.

Arcana: Useful if you plan on using scrolls. Must have if you don't have a single-classed wizard/priest/druid for the end-game spells. 

Athletics: Useful for anyone, but definitely so for characters that are going to get hit a lot. Increases the effectiveness of second wind (self-heal).

Explosives: Useful for using explosives. I personally don't use explosives (except for sparkcrackers to rob merchants early game).

Mechanics: Must have for disarming traps and unlocking chests. Merchants usually have some of their best gear locked in chests/crates behind them, so its a great way to acquire good gear without breaking the bank.

Sleight of Hand: Useful for pickpocketing. You can get keys to chests and other containers. If you plan on trying to solve most problems peacefully, this is a great way to get the unique gear off of their inventory.

Stealth: Makes you harder to detect in stealth mode. You will need stealth to pickpocket or steal from "owned" chests/crates, also if you plan on using an assassin to get extra damage.

 

The passive skills really depend on what gear/builds you plan on using. For instance, intimidate is a great skill to have for a swashbuckler who uses Casita Samelia's Legacy. Or Metaphysics for someone who is using the Essence Interrupter.

 

Of course, the most important choice in skills for me is usually a roleplaying one, so that will differ person to person. In general, if you "miss-spend" your skill points, you won't be penalized to much. 

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention that all skills are used for scripted interactions and some conversation choices. There are some specific situations that warrant having a certain skill, but in general if your party covers all the bases you should be good. A lot of scripted interactions also use your base attributes.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Prince of Lies

[Lampros]

 

 

Some context would go a long way here ^_^. 

 

LOL, for just a regular 5-man PoTD party

 

 

Arcana: Useful if you plan on using scrolls. Must have if you don't have a single-classed wizard/priest/druid for the end-game spells. 

 

 

Whoah, so multi-class Priest or Wizard (both of which I have) are not enough? How high do I need to bring their Arcana then? (I figure it makes more sense to increase Arcana on casters.)

 

Also, when you say cover every skill, how high do I need to go exactly? Like 9-10? If so, I assume one character should focus no more than 2 active and 2 passive each - or something like that?

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

It's best if you focus on no more than two skills per character. 

 

In the case of Arcana, I'd say, have one character that focuses only on that. You can bring your Arcana skill to 28 for sure, and I think you can do perhaps even 30, though I haven't looked quite that hard into it. Arcana will give you more Tier 9 lvl spell casts and if you add other things on top like spell penetration, reflex debuffs, elemental power levels and general power levels, the scrolls will start hitting very hard. 

[Lampros]

It's best if you focus on no more than two skills per character. 

 

In the case of Arcana, I'd say, have one character that focuses only on that. You can bring your Arcana skill to 28 for sure, and I think you can do perhaps even 30, though I haven't looked quite that hard into it. Arcana will give you more Tier 9 lvl spell casts and if you add other things on top like spell penetration, reflex debuffs, elemental power levels and general power levels, the scrolls will start hitting very hard. 

 

Ah, ok. So max out 1 active and 1 passive? And having 28-30 in one skill is insane. I don't recall that you can get that high in PoE 1, though I am an old man with a fading memory

[Prince of Lies]

 

 

 

Some context would go a long way here ^_^. 

 

LOL, for just a regular 5-man PoTD party

 

 

Arcana: Useful if you plan on using scrolls. Must have if you don't have a single-classed wizard/priest/druid for the end-game spells. 

 

 

Whoah, so multi-class Priest or Wizard (both of which I have) are not enough? How high do I need to bring their Arcana then? (I figure it makes more sense to increase Arcana on casters.)

 

Also, when you say cover every skill, how high do I need to go exactly? Like 9-10? If so, I assume one character should focus no more than 2 active and 2 passive each - or something like that?

 

 

No, they are enough. You just won't have access to PL8 & PL9 spells, or higher PL for the other spells. Instead you get the benefit of whatever you multi-classed them into. 

 

 

It's best if you focus on no more than two skills per character. 

 

In the case of Arcana, I'd say, have one character that focuses only on that. You can bring your Arcana skill to 28 for sure, and I think you can do perhaps even 30, though I haven't looked quite that hard into it. Arcana will give you more Tier 9 lvl spell casts and if you add other things on top like spell penetration, reflex debuffs, elemental power levels and general power levels, the scrolls will start hitting very hard. 

 

 

Just to clarify for OP, Arcana only affects the PL of scrolls. 

 

 

 

It's best if you focus on no more than two skills per character. 

 

In the case of Arcana, I'd say, have one character that focuses only on that. You can bring your Arcana skill to 28 for sure, and I think you can do perhaps even 30, though I haven't looked quite that hard into it. Arcana will give you more Tier 9 lvl spell casts and if you add other things on top like spell penetration, reflex debuffs, elemental power levels and general power levels, the scrolls will start hitting very hard. 

 

Ah, ok. So max out 1 active and 1 passive? And having 28-30 in one skill is insane. I don't recall that you can get that high in PoE 1, though I am an old man with a fading memory

 

 

 

Having characters with specific high-level skills (I.E. one character with Arcana and Metaphysics, another with Athletics and Survival) is definitely a good way to have all the bases covered. Obviously, certain skills work better with different builds, so you'll have to experiment when you get access to that gear. 

 

In the end it's not a huge deal, as you can just reroll your characters at an inn. 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Prince of Lies