Attributes and Skills are related but different. The way they function creates a problem for new players. Since I was accused of chipping in yesterday (like that’s somehow a bad thing) I want to look at skilling. Entropia Universe creates a catch 22 in this area. What works for me may not work for you. And what works for you won’t work for everyone else. Let’s look at the issue in a bit more detail.
Attributes
Attributes are very similar to skills. In fact you have to learn which ones are attributes. As you Hunt you gain skills. You will receive skill points which are weapons related and defense related. But you will also be awarded Attribute points and they will look the same. Agility, Health, Intelligence, Psyche, Stamina and Strength are all attributes.
While they may look and act a lot like skills there are two big differences. First they can not be added or removed from your avatar. With skills you can simply chip in and out. This is where the catch 22 will come from. Second, you gain them far slower than you gain regular skills. They are MUCH harder to obtain and they become very important later in the game.
The Chipping Issue
Generally you want to chip out late in the game. Since every skill point is worth more than the one before it chipping out later is ideal. A new player would have to go from 0-1900 skill points to have 10 PED TT of a skill. For the more experienced player the 7 skill points between 10,000 and 10,007 have the same value. This means chipping out doesn’t effect their profession levels.
Knowing this we can determine chipping in early gives you the most value. A small 10 PED TT chip can take you from 0-1900 points. This helps you skip the most levels. The problem is that by chipping in we give up the chance to gain attributes at a natural rate.
Natural Skilling
As many of you know I spent my first 6 months in game Farming Free Defense Skills At Zychion Citadel. When you skill naturally the system awards points in a proportionate manner. You may get 3 points of Evade, 1 point of Athletics, 1.75 points of Combat Reflexes. They are all defense skills but you get them in varying amounts.
Natural skilling will also award attribute points such as Agility. This means that everything rises in sync with each other. Let’s take a look at my skills as of today:
- Combat Reflexes 4,164
- Athletics 3,589
- Courage 3,246
- Evade 3,012
- Dodge 2,392
- Alertness 2,102
- Serendipity 2,013
- Agility 63
You can accuse me of chipping in all you like; the numbers don’t lie. It would be impossible for me to have 63 Agility points had I chipped in even a fraction of these skills. The one skill that I DID chip in was about 10 TT worth of Dodge right before Easter Mayhem 2019.
Some of the more experienced players may notice there also seems to be a slight Combat Reflexes skew natural skilling wouldn’t explain. This is because of the mission rewards for the first several Iron Drone Missions and Iron Argonaut missions.
Attributes In Late Game Play
Some of you may not care about 3 years from now. Everyone plays different. But Attributes play a huge role later in the game. While reaching 10,000 skill points may be a challenge reaching 100 attribute points is even more daunting. They can play a huge role in HP when you have seemingly maxed your HP gains from skills.
This is why some of the best players in the game wait a very long time to chip in. They want their attributes to grow as high as possible before artificially increasing their skills. Personally I agree. It’s the smart move if you plan to play the game for a very long time. All the more important if you intend to compete in events or be active in PvP areas.
Do I believe that they are the end all? No. But it is why I believe in skilling naturally as much as possible. While many people complain about the Mayhem category structure it has actually helped me in this area. I have chipped out a LOT of my combat skills to keep my profession levels artificially low so I can compete in Mayhem. This has allowed my defense skills and my attributes to grow at a higher rate than would otherwise be possible.
There’s Nothing Wrong With Chipping
While some view chipping as a bad thing I disagree. People want to claim because I’m not level 100 Laser Sniper I have no experience. If they knew the game half as well as I do they would be able to tell from a persons skill window what they have chipped in and out. I think there are many times where chipping in is appropriate. There are also times when chipping out is appropriate.
But you have to look at more than the immediate cost or benefits. If you plan to play EU long term you need to look at the whole picture before deciding what’s right for you. Players who chip in early may be able to use weapons and tools they really don’t understand yet. They are also giving up a valuable opportunity to keep their skills and attributes in sync with one another.
Attribute Advice
In closing I want to give some really simple advice on the subject. If you are just here to play casually, have fun and think you will be gone in a few months chip in. The game will be more fun and you’ll be able to do more stuff. On the other hand do not chip in if you plan to be here long term. If you want to play this game for years or really make money with it you are going to need those attributes. Take it slow, grind away and skill naturally.
We are always happy to have long term players Join Us. We have plenty of Offers and Videos to help you earn PED. I also try and take time to answer any questions players have. Personally, I will be here for as long as the game is. NOTHING is going to change that.
