What should be my third tag skill after Small Guns and Speech? (Fallout 2)

[Motherdragon64]

So I've decided to replay Fallout 2 and I'm wondering which skill I should tag. All of my Fallout characters always have Small Guns and Speech tagged, and in my last playthrough of Fallout 2 the third tag skill was Melee Weapons, but as I progressed further and became more accustomed to the game mechanics I found that tagging more than one combat skill seems to be pretty ill-advisable, and you're able to raise Melee by 10 via training before you even leave Arroyo anyway. So my question is, do you have advice as to whether or not I should still tag Melee, and if not, what should I tag instead? I know a lot of people say Lockpick, but in my experience 80% of locks in the game can be picked with about fifty Lockpick skill and a little persistence, and the other 20% can be picked with the help of items. Something else that I've considered is tagging science, since that would remove the burden of that incredibly annoying skill check in the Sierra Army Depot, but I'm still not sure if that's worth tagging since there doesn't seem to be many other big science checks that I know of (feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken about that, by the way).

 

[TorontoReign]

You can do what I do and save that one for some RP purposes. I always use it for that so thief/science/diplomat/CQC/demolition whatever you want but I always have Small Gun and Speech. Imo take Lockpick. Persistence? Who wants to sit there and reload or wait all day? Enjoy your game playing time my man. Don't make yourself suffer. I like messing with Steal if you are going to reload a lot.

 

[Motherdragon64]

You can do what I do and save that one for some RP purposes. I always use it for that so thief/science/diplomat/CQC/demolition whatever you want but I always have Small Gun and Speech. Imo take Lockpick. Persistence? Who wants to sit there and reload or wait all day? Enjoy your game playing time my man. Don't make yourself suffer. I like messing with Steal if you are going to reload a lot.

Thanks for the advice. After giving it some thought I think I'm just gonna keep Melee Weapons tagged, because from a roleplaying perspective it doesn't really make a lot of sense for a tribal from a relatively primitive and isolated village to be knowledgeable in things like science or lockpicking, and it'll also take away a huge amount of annoyance from a lot of the early-game segments like the Temple of Trials and the Toxic Caves.

 

[.Pixote.]

Unarmed characters can be a fun way to play the game...the mega power-fist with the slayer perk is lethal against all opponents. Just make sure you chose the extra movement perks, with the earlier sequence perk...and life giver for extra HP.

For money hungry players take gambling and head to Reno and play the tables, this approach requires high luck and 120% in gambling to constantly win. Science and repair can be gained through books.