Does anyone know what the top level in each skill would be needed for every quest; so that say, if the top for Explosives were 50, and I wasn't planning on using Explosives I would only need to raise my skill to 50 and not waste any more skill points?

I dunno but I think Medicine is like 70 or 80 for healing a certain someone.
Speech... Erm... Final battle has a 100 check but other than that I don't think you need more than 70 (Just remember to carry a skill magazine.)
So if you have comprehension then you should get like -20 of the highest check.
Highest Explosive I've found is 50 so 30 + Comprehension + skill magazine is enough.
Highest barter outside of final main quest is like 80 IIRC, so again, with comprehension just put 60.

Hrm there is one speech check with a req of 90 that I can remember seeing.

I think that was to make a certain nightkin calm down.... or was that for ~70 speech?

There are a few places where you need 100 in a skill. However, with the Comprehension Perk, you only need to have an 80 in that skill and the Magazine that gives you the temp boost you need. I would make only my primary attack skill 100. All other skills I stop at 80.

Science, Medicine, Barter, and Speech are the only ones I have seen that have skill checks above 80 in converstations. There could be others, but I do not remember seeing them. There are quite a few places where a 100 in those skills is needed to go forward on that branch as in cracking a safe or hacking a computer but you can do that with a Magazine Boost if you are at 80.

Blowing the sulfur caves in Powder Ganger vault without destroying the vault requires 60. That's the highest one I've seen.


Brotherhood paladins that confront you during Veronica's quest had a 90 check IIRC.

The trouble with saving skill points is that it gets annoying. Sure, you will collect that Wasteland Survival Guide from the Scavenger Platform and the Tales of Junktown Jerky Vendor from Vault 22... eventually. You can get by with carrying around a Followers Science Coat, a Vault whatsitsname Utility Jumpsuit, a Roving Trader outfit+hat and a Naughty Nightwear, and switch gear every time you need to craft some handloaded .50 rounds or pass a Speech check. But it's SUCH a hassle, is it not? With reasonably high INT and the Educated perk, you're not exactly going to suffer from skill points shortage.

I, for one, tend to opt for saving real-life time and hassle over maximizing character build efficiency.

That's why I usually take things like Lockpick to 100 even though I could use a magazine.

There's a spot or two in Dead Money where a 90 Repair skill is necessary.. probably some just as high or close to it in the normal game.

You loose all your items in the Dead Money DLC, so you can't count on your usual methods to boost skills in that or future DLC.