Since you don't have access to a silver sword in chapter 1, some people may think about putting points into the steel sword skills. That would make sense, except that once you hit chapter 2 you will find a mix of monsters(most fights will be monsters where silver works better). So, I spend my points in chapter 1 starting with select intelligence ones, herbalism and oil creations. I don't use oils all that often, but they help, and on hard difficulty they really help.For those who have not played through the game yet, you will learn that some creatures die a LOT faster with a strong attack than from a fast attack. Silver sword works best on most MONSTERS, so keep that in mind. I found as the game went on that I used silver a bit more than steel until chapter 5, so focused a bit more on those when it came to combat.Strength and Dexterity are of course required to advance strong and fast attack styles, so you will be using these a bit.For chapter 1, boosting Aard(stun should be one of your early selections) will really help with many fights. Through the rest of the game, Aard will save you a LOT of pain, and can seem almost overpowered at times.There will be people who powergame and look for the easiest way to get through the game, using the most powerful signs like Igni and Aard. I personally never used Igni all that much since Aard and intelligent use of sword abilities will let you get through most of the fights easily enough. With that said, look at how you are playing the game, and focus on the skills you use. If you have read this thread, you know that most people use Aard and Igni as their primary signs, but you should play the way you want. If you want to focus on swordplay, then go that route.Some people like to run around gathering enemies and using group, but not everyone wants to play the game that way, so again, look at how you play the game. I didn't upgrade group all that much since I found that fast and strong really did the job for me. Again, it's all a matter of preference in how you play.