Is athletics leveling progression working as intended?

[CS554]

I'm level 50 since a good while
I was level 35 when a start "Ghost Town" and "Automatic Love" with "only" NCPD Scanner Hustler and some minor Side Quest (Delamain/Heroe/...)
And I'm level 15 in engeneering and I have some GIGs and a few Side Quests left (mostly those with Padre and Dino).
But I use tech skill on each cameras that I encounter (even in the "wild", like in Pacifica, there are plenty of cameras).
Little important detail, I generally don't use tech weapon or grenade (just a shotgun at the very beginning when stealth is not that great).

Yeah, like I wrote earlier, my character is at level 50 too. I did use tech to cameras and opening doors whenever available, in addition I also tried using tech shotgun, but I was unable to get any Engineering experience with that, regardless if I used charged shot or not. I used grenades quite often and gained quite a bit of Engineering exp via that, but it wasn't consistent. Most of the times using grenades resulted gaining even few hundreds points of Engineering exp, but then sometimes there wasn't any.

While this is important, especially tip about using Tech skill to turrets before ripping them off to Athletics exp, I want to be clear here. While certain things are achievable, that still doesn't mean that everything is working as intended. I doubt most players ever reach or intend to reach level 50 nor looking cameras and turrets and whatever to level up Athletics and Engineering is what most players find fun, interesting and engaging.

I don't doubt your words and I appreciate and I hope other people appreciate your tips too, but considering that we have covered most content that game has but have different results, is actually another inconsistency. My game version was 1.23 and platform is Xbox One X.

That is to say, that I hope CDPR looks Athletics skill progression (topic) and also Engineering skill progression and takes in account that current state of game puts players with character builds with relatively high Body and Tech focus, in difficult position.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Yeah, like I wrote earlier, my character is at level 50 too. I did use tech to cameras and opening doors whenever available, in addition I also tried using tech shotgun, but I was unable to get any Engineering experience with that, regardless if I used charged shot or not. I used grenades quite often and gained quite a bit of Engineering exp via that, but it wasn't consistent. Most of the times using grenades resulted gaining even few hundreds points of Engineering exp, but then sometimes there wasn't any.

While this is important, especially tip about using Tech skill to turrets before ripping them off to Athletics exp, I want to be clear here. While certain things are achievable, that still doesn't mean that everything is working as intended. I doubt most players ever reach or intend to reach level 50 nor looking cameras and turrets and whatever to level up Athletics and Engineering is what most players find fun, interesting and engaging.

I don't doubt your words and I appreciate and I hope other people appreciate your tips too, but considering that we have covered most content that game has but have different results, is actually another inconsistency. My game version was 1.23 and platform is Xbox One X.

That is to say, that I hope CDPR looks Athletics skill progression (topic) and also Engineering skill progression and takes in account that current state of game puts players with character builds with relatively high Body and Tech focus, in difficult position.

I'm on Series X, so the exact same version as you
Another tip (not absolutely sure), but it seem to me that more you use a same weapon, less xp you earn. For test, you could try with a brand new tech weapon
(for me it work quite well on power weapon).


And another skill who is pretty long to level up, it's breach protocol.
I use it on every enemies I encounter, every cameras (every time I can use it, I do). And I'm not yet to level 20 (QH skill is level 20 since a long time).

 

[CS554]

I'm on Series X, so the exact same version as you
Another tip (not absolutely sure), but it seem to me that more you use a same weapon, less xp you earn. For test, you could try with a brand new tech weapon
(for me it work quite well on power weapon).


And another skill who is pretty long to level up, it's breach protocol.
I use it on every enemies I encounter, every cameras (every time I can use it, I do). And I'm not yet to level 20 (QH skill is level 20 since a long time).

Breach skill progression appears to be working much the same in ver. 1.23 as in 1.06. My character build had Intelligence 14 and I got Breach skill at level 13 at least and possibly even hit 14 in Arasaka tower (Star). Progression is naturally slower as it's less used than Quickhacking, but then there is additional incentive to hack access points for credits and quickhacks and minigame is fast.

Also, some skills in Breach skill tree are not that important, say Extended Network interface. Then it's sort of pointless to take both (or actually even either) Turret Tamer and Turret Shutdown perks and investing in Almost In perk is a matter of playstyle.

Meanwhile some Athetics perks like True Grit not only synergize with other Body skill Street Brawling, but also Blades from Reflexes attribute and takes three perk points to level up. I didn't take it as other perks, like Pack Mule, Regeneration, Invincible (also requires 3 perk points), Steel and Chrome are very beneficial, especially if players wants to complete Beat the Brat missions. I had Cool 12 but I invested only 3 perks points in that, and I used knives and katana just to harvest perk points to invest in Athletics, that's actually one work around and resulting skill point issue, blades can be very powerful Haha! Still, intuitive solution it's not.

 

[cecoates]

I'm on Series X, so the exact same version as you
Another tip (not absolutely sure), but it seem to me that more you use a same weapon, less xp you earn. For test, you could try with a brand new tech weapon
(for me it work quite well on power weapon).


And another skill who is pretty long to level up, it's breach protocol.
I use it on every enemies I encounter, every cameras (every time I can use it, I do). And I'm not yet to level 20 (QH skill is level 20 since a long time).

You leveled engineering on a power weapon? I thought tech only went up with tech weapons through walls and grenades.

Something that's kind of counterintuitive to use for leveling engineering: the Burya pistol. It's a tech weapon even though you don't charge it. Just to make sure I wasn't imagining it I just shot three rando mobs through a wall in Watson and it definitely gave engineering exp, but since you don't charge it it's pretty quick to use.

Hard disagree on extended network interface. That perk has definitely helped me avoid missing access points. And some access points can yield like 500 exp a pop. Worst case scenario once everything is maxed you could use a Rasa and get that single point back, but IMO totally worth it for the vast majority of the game.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

You leveled engineering on a power weapon? I thought tech only went up with tech weapons through walls and grenades.

Something that's kind of counterintuitive to use for leveling engineering: the Burya pistol. It's a tech weapon even though you don't charge it. Just to make sure I wasn't imagining it I just shot three rando mobs through a wall in Watson and it definitely gave engineering exp, but since you don't charge it it's pretty quick to use.

Hard disagree on extended network interface. That perk has definitely helped me avoid missing access points. And some access points can yield like 500 exp a pop. Worst case scenario once everything is maxed you could use a Rasa and get that single point back, but IMO totally worth it for the vast majority of the game.

Not for ingeneering, obviously
But at one point, when I always use the same weapons (often a lexington and an ajax with silencer), I notice that I hardly gain anything any more in Assault and in handgun skills. So I change to a another Ajax and an anoter hand gun (I have a few of legendary ones with great habilities, looted in GIGs). And the xp become "normal".
I'm not really sure, but I have a good feeling about that.

So if it's the same for "street brawler" skill, changing from your Gorilla arms to a baseball bat could be a good idea at some point.
The same if you "only" use Widow maker (loot in early game) for tech weapon.

 

[CS554]

...
But at one point, when I always use the same weapons (often a lexington and an ajax with silencer), I notice that I hardly gain anything any more in Assault and in handgun skills. So I change to a another Ajax and an anoter hand gun (I have a few of legendary ones with great habilities, looted in GIGs). And the xp become "normal".
I'm not really sure, but I have a good feeling about that.

So if it's the same for "street brawler" skill, changing from your Gorilla arms to a baseball bat could be a good idea at some point.
The same if you "only" use Widow maker (loot in early game) for tech weapon.

This is something quite interesting and sure looks like a bug.

 

[tru3story]

Also, swimming. Took a it as a shortcut and it gave me 20XP for about a minute of paddling. Not much, but hey

 

[CS554]

Hard disagree on extended network interface. That perk has definitely helped me avoid missing access points. And some access points can yield like 500 exp a pop. Worst case scenario once everything is maxed you could use a Rasa and get that single point back, but IMO totally worth it for the vast majority of the game.

Not going to argue the case, but it's indeed only one point. Meanwhile Athletics progression isn't keeping anywhere up with skill point requirements to get intended benefits from Athetics perk tree, yet those perks has far more synergy across not only Body related skills, but Reflexes / Blades.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Meanwhile Athletics progression isn't keeping anywhere up with skill point requirements to get intended benefits from Athetics perk tree

Maybe I step forward (I never count them), but I believe there is no "self-sufficient" skill tree. It is always necessary to draw elsewhere to complete the attributes integrally (or largely).
Like for me, for Blades skill (I have no perk point at all), but I'm level 15 in Reflex and Blades. I use all those perk points for Handgun and Assault. The same with Ingeneering skill (only 3 perk points in) and I'm at level 14.

 

[CS554]

Maybe I step forward (I never count them), but I believe there is no "self-sufficient" skill tree. It is always necessary to draw elsewhere to complete the attributes integrally (or largely).
Like for me, for Blades skill (I have no perk point at all), but I'm level 15 in Reflex and Blades. I use all those perk points for Handgun and Assault. The same with Ingeneering skill (only 3 perk points in) and I'm at level 14.

That may very well be the case, but I don't think that would necessarily be a problem and not every perk is that useful, think of Commando for example. Kujira is still there though...

But anyway, like I wrote earlier, my end game character was missing at least 3 perk points from Athletics and 3-4 from Engineering so 6-7 in total.

 

[Liquidcyberpunk]

I like it currently. Athletics needs takedowns like in Judo or Jiu Jitsu followed by an armbar or breaking of limbs of your opponent instead of the hulk smash approach. I believe this feature would really separate itself from how other first person combat is presented in other games.