This has likely been done before, but I'm not interested in reading everyone's complete skill profile. I'm interested in which skills you keep the highest while leveling up.

For me, it's small guns, lockpick and speech. The benefits are obvious, but next time I want to try something radically different.

Were you surprised by how your character performed with some skills invested in the most?

Want to get some ideas about a different playing style for the next campaign.

Well, i always tag Guns, Lockpick and Science (maybe should stick with the last and forget Lockpick - many locks can be opened via computers and science is useful for a lot of checks in the game)

Speech is important too, so I try putting a lot of points in it. Barter is pretty useful.

In all my playthroughs, Lockpick is always tagged.

Of all the skills, these are the ones that I make sure to get to 100:

Repair, Science, Lockpick, Speech, Medicine, Guns, Energy Weapons

Barter is next on the list and then Survival. By the time I hit max level (before OWB) these two will be in the 60's I believe.

I don't bother with sneak, unarmed and melee. I put like 5 extra points in sneak total and none in the rest.

blech, I stopped investing anything in Lockpick over 25 nor do I try to pump it with other items or chems. I just find that Lockpick is finally optional after three games of just about needing it

otherwise on my Legion Courier I tag Speech Sneak Guns taking those up to 75 80 100 respectively then take Melee to 80 also and Survival to 50. Everything else is not more than 25

for the NCR Courier I tag Barter Science EnergyWeps and pump those to 75 75 100 also, with secondary skills of Speech, Sneak, and Medicine all to 50 with the rest at 25

I try hard to keep myself from having too many skill points either by not maxing more than one skill, avoiding skill books or magazines, not using chems, or not wearing clothing/items that improves skillls. Makes the game more fun IMO