[2020] best way to spend 4 starting points?

For me, it's mostly dependent on the playthrough.. But typically, I always pick up the following within the first week:
Rank 1 Advanced Engineering from Intellect
Rank 1 Master Chef from Strength
Rank 1 Miner 69'er from Strength
Rank 1 Mother Lode from Strength
Rank 1 Living off the Land
Rank 1 Healing Factor
The above takes me to level 3; the 4 free points and 2 levels- easily achievable in day 1.

This sets you up with the ability to make better food to feed yourself, and teas which help fill your thirst and grant additional effects(Master Chef)

Living off the land lets you gather extra from crops and plants like goldenrod/chyranthemum, great for making teas, and also reduces the cost of making farm plots letting you craft them sooner.

The ability to make a forge(Advanced Engineering), Quality 2 tools which with the forge you can craft iron ones (Miner 69er); Plus better mining returns from Miner 69er+Mother Lode

And of course, Healing factor allows you to skate by with less medical supplies as long as you're careful and allow yourself time to regenerate.


I don't buy these in any particular order, as I buy them based on my circumstances- If I take a bunch of damage really early, I'll pick up Healing Factor early for example- Or if I find a lot of canned food i may wait on Master Chef.

Originally posted by RasaNova:

Originally posted by Shane: the master chef thing is a good one i grant ya.... but

bacon n eggs needs a grill
and boiled meat needs a pan

and trust me you can spend the point on that skill and not find either of the two required items for quite some time i unlock that as important as it really is when i find those

Bacon and eggs once needed a grill but now it just needs a cooking pot, which is an extremely common item in ovens, sinks, and dishwashers. True it's possible to be very unlucky and not find one, that's not very likely. Or they can be crafted easily in a forge.

Not to mention, it also unlocks red tea, which is extremely easy to make, increases stamina regen, and slows hunger.

To add, If you follow other recommendations (EG: getting Advanced Engineering to get access to a forge), then once you have your forge you can craft both a cooking pot AND a grill for your campfire- No RNG needed, just a bit of iron and clay. :)