» Fri May 27, 2011 8:03 am
Jeff, chill out! The manual and the UESP mention that there is a max to levels...unless you cheat or use an exploit. I never use such things, so I don't consider them in my comments. I've never played those games you mentioned, so I wasn't comparing.
tominook1-If you improve a skill 10 points, then you can increase its attribute by 5 points not 4. There is a glitch when you get to 95 that sometimes prevents you going up 5 to 100, otherwise it is always 5.
Most basic characters start with an average of 40 in each attribute. There are 8 attributes, so they need 60 x 8 or 480 points to max attributes. If you get 10 points in one Major/Minor skill and immediately level up that is 5+1+1 or 7 points to add to your attributes (or if you improved two skills 5 times that would be 3+3+1 and still add 7 to your attributes). Most characters can impove an additional 70 levels (unless you cheat), so 7 x 70 is 490 points to your attributes. Thus you can max your attributes without wasting time on your miscellaneous skills and it really is the fastest thing to do, whether or not one finds this to be the best thing to do. You just have to know what you are doing.
Also, let's say one chooses to level both miscellaneous and Major/Minor skills so as to quickly max their character's attributes. They improve three skills per level for 32 levels, one Major/Minor and two miscellaneous by 10 points each (a total of 96 skill improvements with an increase of 15 x 32 or 480 to their attributes). They get to 33rd level and have 100's in all attributes. However, in three quarters of the game time, my character improves only one Major/Minor skill per level for 70 levels (a total of 70 skill improvements). My character also has 100's in all attributes, but has an additional 380 health points from the extra 38 levels too.
Sounds like the best thing to do to me.