I've never really done a play through without taking sneak, guns, melee or lockpicking. I have six different characters; only ever completed a legion ending and no dlc’s.

I'm looking for help on taking other skills. Is speech and barter 'pointless' to take together? or any other skills for that matter. And do you lose anything from not choosing a weapon skill.

i was thinking of taking skills such as speech, barter and lockpicking or science, barter and survival.

I'm very open to suggestions on builds that don’t include guns, sneak or melee. Thanks
special suggestions will help too.

If you mean taking "Tags" than in NW they do nothing except giving you additional 15 skill points in that skill. It is more or less irrelevant which skill you tag if you plan to develop it at last little bit in the future. Only thing it does is giving you little bit better start in that skill.

Back in old Fallout 1/2 days taged skills increased on double speed so it was altogether different thing. Tags were very important through out whole game.

If you however mean which skills to develop than it is different matter. You gone need at last one or two combat skills. Other than that, you can develop pretty much anything. Speech is useful for dialogues, additional experience and alternative ways to do some quests. it is skill which I always develop. Barter on the other hand, unless you want some barter related perks I do not see reason to heavily invest to. There is only one perk related to barter which I like so I think it is not worth spending too much points.

In my current build I develop energy weapons, explosives, speech, science, lockpicking, repair and survival (I play hardcoe). Bye the level of 30 I should have most of them close to 90-100 skill.