So I've decided permanent ant nectar addiction was too hard a pill to swallow and that I'm going to start over and optimize my character a bit more.

I was thinking of going with:

STR5 PE5 EN5 CHA1 INT10 AGI5 LCK9
Tags: Barter, Guns, Speech
Traits: Built to Destroy, Good Natured

10 INT for the maximum # of skill points, tagging speech and barter due to the low CHA, 5 in the rest for perk+weapon requirements(if implants count towards perk and weaponrequirements), BTD trait for obvious reasons and good natured because the pros far outweigh the cons if you use a single weapon type.

Thoughts and suggestions? I'm curious if the lucky shades make a comeback as well. Anyone know?

If you start with 10 INT you won't be able to use the INT implant. On that same note, with 5 END you're going to have to sacrifice at least three implants, including the INT implant you can't use.

It would take a while to get the INT implant and you would level up thus losing out on skill points, unless they have changed INT increases from fallout 3 and made them retroactively grant you lost skill points at your next level-up.

I didn't know implants required END, maybe I'll have to rework my SPECIAL... Are the non-SPECIAL implants really worth the END investments? On that note; does the END implant grant you another implant "slot"?

You won't lose that many skill points if you make getting the implant your first priority. Remember that each point of INT is only worth a half skill point per level.

The Endurance implant does NOT give you another implant slot. You have to start with 9 END if you want them all.

The armor implant is definitely worth it. The only implants I consider to be useless are the Charisma and HP Regen implants. I consider Charisma to be a useless stat and 1 HP every 10 seconds is insignificant.

Eh, I'm just enough of a min-maxer to care about getting all my used skills "up there" in ranks, I wouldn't ruin imersion and game-flow on a mad rush to snatch up the implant(nor for über weapons). True enough about the meager loss of skill points.

Do you know if SPECIAL implants count towards perk and weapon requirements?

It doesn't have to take a while. Even if it did take you 10 levels to get it you lose a grand total of 5 skill points.

We got a munchkin here

Lrn2NotDumpstat

8-10 Luck.

Munchkin? Dumpstat? Sorry you're going to have to translate that for me. I'm guessing you're just trying to be snarky, though.

Yes. They are a permanent boost so they count for perks, weapons, and conversation checks.

I went with 10's across the board.

1 int = 1 skill point per level. You improve skills every level.

As for the OPs build if you are going for an 'optimal' character than 9 Luck isnt a good choice. Perception is also a terrible SPECIAL stat. Its only use is allowing access to the Sniper and Better Criticals perk. Both of which are not worth throwing away 4 SPECIALs points into a worthless stat in my opinion.

You think Better Criticals isn't worth taking. Who cares what your opinion is?

Not when you are forced to throw away 4 of your starting points into a useless stat. It should be S.E.I.A.L instead of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Who took a dump in your cereal this morning by the way? I was simply giving advice, whether the OP wants to take it on is up to him.

Better Criticals essentially costs 4 of your S.P.E.C.I.A.L points to add 10-20 damage onto your critical hits. If you think its that valuable then go for it

Intelligence only gives 1/2 skill point per level, it saves the extra half for the next level if you have an odd intelligence score.

Fallout 3 gave 1 skill point per point of INT, but 3 was balanced for 20 levels, NV is balanced for 30.

Charisma is also not as useless as it was in FO3 since it affects companion effectiveness, and the companions are much better this time around.

Im pretty sure you gain 5 + Intelligence (+2 with Educated) skill points every level.

1 Int = 6 points per level.
2 Int = 7 points per level.
3 Int = 8 points per level.
4 Int = 9 points per level.
And so on.

Not what the wiki says

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Intelligence#Fallout:_New_Vegas

Of course, the wiki isn't official, but I usually trust it over a random internet person, no offense. You could be right on this issue it's just my standard procedure.

Probably my mistake then.