(Tips) on which skills may have low benefit
These tips are mainly designed for lower level new player froob play where “improvement points” points can be scarce and so can be an issue. If you raise skills that are of low benefit in the beginning, it can considerably hinder if not completely make your character unplayable. Now these skill are not completely useless and they can be reset. However skill reset points are rare, and it’s these points that are the real problem. Specially the full ip reset of which you only get 1 of, and its the only way to reset your abilities. The point of this list is to make sure you don’t use your ip resets unless absolutely neccesary, by means of not raising skills that are of little to no benefit to you in the long run. Below is will make a list of skills you might not want to raise, unless you know exactly what you are doing. I am a very critical person so something may sound harsh and generalized, but i assume you want a clear answer if you are reading this.
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sense check (http://wiki.aodb.us/wiki/Skills_Costs_and_Dependencies_Chart) Many implants can (be designed to) require sense, which is why i usually max it. But if you plan to not use those you won’t need high sense. Many ranged skills+Initiatives +evades depend heavily on sense, so if you also don’t need those, if for example you plan on fighting full agg, can keep your weap at full speed, and don’t plan on taking any aggro/hits, you can simply not raise sense (as much). If you are not short on ip, and plan on leveling your character to max level, you can safely raise this aswell.
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agility Increases jump height. also check (http://wiki.aodb.us/wiki/Skills_Costs_and_Dependencies_Chart) Many ranged skills+some melee skills+evades depend heavily on agility. So if you don’t need those, you may not need agil. Many implants can (be designed to) require agil, which is why i usually max it… But if you also don’t plan on using those you won’t need high agility. If you are not short on ip, and plan on leveling your character to max level, you can safely raise this aswell.
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intelligence check (http://wiki.aodb.us/wiki/Skills_Costs_and_Dependencies_Chart) Some implants can (be designed to) require intel. A 2 cluster Headimp(nanoskill+electrical+empty) and 3 cluster Headimp(nanoskill+…+…) always require intel. . All nanoskills + treatment depend very heavily on intel, and since most builds use either one of those, it’s why i usually max it. There are some soldier builds that don’t really need to max intel, in order to get enough MC TS for his TMS.
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Psychic: Not very usefull in the beginning of the game. You can still raise your Nano pool a fair bit even without any psychic, since raising sense+intel+stamina will also let you raise Nano pool a bit. ear(ncu+nanocost+…+…), waistimp(nanocost+…+…) and leg(skilllock+…+…) also requires psychic but nanocost/skilllock clusters are only beneficial at higher levels and by that time you will have plenty of ip. If you are not short on ip, and plan on leveling your character to max level, you can safely raise this aswell.
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Strength: Increases jump height. also check (http://wiki.aodb.us/wiki/Skills_Costs_and_Dependencies_Chart). Many melee skills and some ranged skills depend heavily on this. Also it is one of the easiest to buff for equiping implants, if you are planning to make a low level twink, however compared to agil/sense few implants can be designed to require strength. Imps that always require str are the rightarm(1hb/2hb/piercing+AAD/AAO+FA), leftarm(healdelta+…+…). Certain armors benefit from high strength. If you planning on leveling your character to max level, you can safely raise this aswell.
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Stamina: Raising this skill by 2 points/level is enough to max out Body development. also check (Skills Costs and Dependencies Chart - Anarchy Online Wiki [AOWiki]). Many melee skills and some ranged skills depend heavily on this. Also it is one of the easiest to buff for equiping implants, if you are planning to make a low level twink. However compared to agil/sense few implant can be designed to require it, fortunately agil boosting feet/waist/leg imps are on that short list. Also the best 3 cluster chest implants tend to require stamina, although you could just use a 2 cluster chest imp. Certain armors benefit from high stamina. If you are not short on ip, and plan on leveling your character to max level, you can safely raise this aswell. Troxes have a low stamina ip cost as well as higher natural max hp, so if you want a high max hp twink, being a trox, maxing stamina, then equipping high ql hp boost imps, is a good choice.
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Nano Pool: The professions that don’t really have to raise this skill are, Crats, Engies, Fixers, MPs, Soldiers. Basically professions that are not constant casters won’t have to raise this skill. Mainly because your nanoregen from stims+nanocost+nano rechargers will almost always regen it faster than you deplete it from casting, making the size of the pool insignificant.
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Duck Explosions: Useless unless you are do pvp with a trader/odd weapon users.
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Nano Resist: It gives you a chance to counter lower level nano users. However it’s very rare that mobs will cast nanos on you. And even if they do, the monster will most likely be higher level than you making it a low chance of resisting. And even if you do get hit its no big deal.
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Deflect: It may block a small percentage of hits, but not worth the ip invested. Needed for “Blessed with Thunder”(unarmed damage+DoT special) also needed for " Flower of Life"(unarmed self heal+ short enemy snare special)
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Physic init / melee init / ranged init , you only need one of these, check your weapon to see which ones it uses.
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Nanoc init: only raise it enough to instacast the nanos you want to instacast (like nanos you cast in the middle of a fight). If you can already instacast your (mid-fight) nanos with only a high lvl nano formula recompiler equiped (like enfos/Ma’s/fixer/engies/soldier/classic agents) you don’t have to raise this skill.
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Riposte: Only used for Martial artists using the unarmed item " Upon a Wave of Summer" which is a root/snare reducer. Skill is needed to equip “Mangler Claw”, “Spear of Forbidden Ceremonies”
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Brawling: Very few weapons even allow you to use this skill. And only certain specific weapons have good base damage + brawl attack. In those few cases it’s helpfull to raise brawl. People using MA though really benefit from raising this skill though.
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Sharp objects: in pvm it is only usefull to kill for example “fanatics” which have to die fast or else they blow up, but mostly a pvp only skill
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Dimach: Dimach skill itself does alot of damage with long cooldown and is in itself a pvp only skill, but if you use unarmed/MA weapons, raising this skill also allows you to use cool items in combat like for example: “Bird of prey”(ape fist=better random often stunner) “Bright, Blue, Cloudless Sky” (100% stun+initdebuff), “Shen” (100% stun+damage+ long cooldown) Tree of enlight/Wizdom of Huzzum (team heal+damage). These items can be used alongside other MA items because it locks dimach skill not MA skill.
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Vehicle skills: You dont have to raise any vehicle skills in order to use a yalmaha, just use eye/ear implant to boost vehicle air. Raising vehicle air skill at low levels will let you use a yalm at very low levels, and at later levels it will let you use faster yalms. If you do raise this skill at lower levels to use a yalm very soon, you will most likely end up resetting this skill at later levels since by then your base skill will be enough to use the lowest ql yalms.
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Adventuring: Useless.
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Perception: Don’t have to raise this because there are many buffs for it.
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Psychology: Used for Taunting devices, which interrupt your auto attacks, making you do less damage, losing most of its purpose. Also needed to make certain jobe implants, however froobs can’t get enough to do the ql200 shiny clusters anyway, so you will need a paid player to make those anyway. It does increase the chance of a crat charm landing though.
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Concealment: Useless unless you are an agent/advie/shade and plan to use aimed shot/sneak attack.
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Trap Disarmament: Useless
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Trade and repair: This whole section is mostly useless at lower levels. Except Computer Literacy, that skill is very usefull.
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Mechanical engie and Nano program At lower levels it is mainly raised by Engies and Crats in order to use (Trimmer - Positive Aggressive-Defensive - Anarchy Online Items Database). At later levels a tradeskiller may raise it to craft certain items.
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Break and entry: is needed for opening high level locked doors, which if you use the correct mission sliders is unlikely to prevent mission rewards, and if the reward is of vital importance , you can ask someone else to open it for you. mostly raised by Fixers, to get higher bonus % loot level. Also raised by character who farms dungeon chests in RK/SL for certain items like iq rings/jobe clusters on RK, and improved nanos in SL