[Top 10] My Time at Portia Best Skills for Fight, Gather and Social

Updated:

02 Sep 2021

I have found the Skill Tree in My Time at Portia akin to a boss who is very hard to please.

It is so annoying to spend time chopping wood and gathering things to increase Exp and character level and gain just one skill point. I find myself in a dilemma every time I have to spend these hard-earned skill points to better my Fight, Gather, or Social skill.

Suffice it to say, many of you will be facing the same crisis or have already faced it when playing this game. It is painstaking to ponder which skill set would be better to improve to make your gaming experience in Portia most fruitful. If you make a bad decision, you can always head over to the clinic and have Phyllis do acupuncture on you. This returns all your skill points which you can invest in whatever skill you want. Thank the gods for Phyllis!

Anyway, as a Portian, I know the difficulty and confusion the skill tree poses, so I am here for the rescue. I bring you a list of the ten most useful skills that you can focus to max out on, which might help you immensely in the game.

10. Fish Encyclopedia

This particular skill is not considered very useful by many players. But I have found it to be very convenient especially when I want a specific fish to sell but don’t want to waste my baits on other catches. ‘Fish Encyclopedia’ allows you to identify the fish before you reel it in. It has helped me, especially on the Fishing Day event when I collect king fishes to breed them.

Pro Tip: After it identifies the third fish, the bait gets wasted. To prevent this, press ‘Esc’ after the third fish to save your bait and fish again.

Fish Encyclopedia details:

Let’s you identify a fish before reeling it in
Present in Tier 3 under ‘Gather’
Uses one skill point to activate

9. Business Mind

Not many people invest in the Social skill set because they believe it doesn’t help much in the game. However, I have found this skill to be very helpful especially in the beginning when the player doesn’t have much Gols in the game. ‘Business Mind’ allows you to sell items for more worth than normal. If the first level of this skill is increased, it will allow the player to sell an item for 2% more, 4% more for activating it to the second level, and so on.

Business Mind details:

Present in Tier 2 under ‘Social’
Has 4 levels (needs 4 skill points to activate)
Items can sell for 2%>4%>6%>8% more

8. Commerce Hot Shot

This skill is also present under the Social skill set. It has been particularly helpful in raising my workshop reputation as well as bringing me extra Gols for completing commissions. It is most convenient early in the game where the player is trying to set themselves up in Portia and wishing for some Gols. If the first level of this skill is activated, it will increase workshop points by 1 and rewards by 5% after commissions, second level will bring additional 2 workshop points and a 10% increase in rewards, etc.

Commerce Hot Shot details:

Present in Tier 1 under ‘Social’
4 levels (needs 4 skill points to activate)
Increases Workshop Points by 1>2>3>4 and rewards by 5%>10%>15%>20% after each commission

7. Lucky Me

This is a very handy skill especially early in the game when you are despairing for more resources and no matter how much you gather, the raw materials always fall short when crafting. ‘Lucky Me’ under ‘Gather’ skill set is indeed a lucky charm for players. It has 5 levels. Activating the first level grants the player a 6% chance of doubling the loot when Tree-kicking and Harvesting, 12% in the second level, etc.

Lucky Me details:

Present in Tier 1 under ‘Gather’
5 levels (needs 5 skill points to activate)
6%>12%>18%>24%>30% chance to double the loot when tree-kicking and harvesting

6. Artisan

Are you peeved that no matter how much resources you collect, it is never enough when crafting at the worktable? Well, this skill might help you with that. ‘Artisan Skill’ has 4 levels. Activating the first level will grant a 5% reduction in material cost while crafting at the worktable, the second level will grant a 10% reduction, etc. You will be crafting items using less materials than originally needed.

Artisan details:

Present in Tier 3 under ‘Gather’
4 levels (needs 4 skill points)
5% >⁠ 10% ⁠>15% ⁠⁠>20% reduction in material cost when crafting on the Worktable

5. Mastery of Pickaxe

Do you get furious when you finally find the time to go mining but using your pickaxe has reduced your Stamina to nothing? This skill will definitely help you! This skill reduces the cost of stamina when you use your pickaxe for mining. It has 2 levels. The first level decreases stamina cost by 25% and 50% at the second level.

Mastery of Pickaxe details:

Present in Tier 1 of ‘Gather’
2 levels (Needs 2 skill points)
Stamina cost decreases by 25%>50% when using a pickaxe

4. Mastery of Axe

I am always filled with woe at my ever-diminishing Stamina Bar, especially when I need more wood. This skill decreases stamina cost so you can chop at your leisure and collect those pesky, elusive woods that always run low in your inventory when you need them the most. It has 2 levels. The first level decreases stamina cost by 25% and 50% at the second level when using an axe.

Mastery of Axe details:

Present in Tier 1 of ‘Gather’
2 levels (needs 2 skill points)
Stamina cost decreases by 25%>50% when using axe

3. Advanced Mining

We all know that Portia is all about resources. It is largely a building and crafting game; therefore, it needs a lot of ores, data discs, relics, etc. It can get very tedious to pay a certain amount of gols and go mining every day only to find less than what you bargained for. ‘Advanced Mining’ under ‘Gather’ skill set is there to make your life easier. It has 3 levels. Activating the first level will increase the chance of double drops while mining by 8%, 16% at the second level, etc.

Advanced Mining details:

Present in Tier 2 under ‘Gather’
3 levels (needs 3 skill points to activate)
8%>16%⁠>24% chance of double drops when mining

2. Advanced Lumbering

Wood and more wood! The sooner you accept that fact, the better. As a player, we all know how woods are endlessly needed for anything you do in Portia, whether it be crafting or refueling. And more often than not, the furnaces run out of fuel and there is not one wood in your inventory. Advanced Lumbering increases your chance of double drops when lumbering. So, chop away!

Advanced Lumbering details:

Present in Tier 2 under under ‘Gather’
3 levels (needs 3 skill points to activate)
8%>16%>24% chance of double drops when Lumbering

1. Intensive Training

This is a must skill for all players if you want to increase your Experience points. Everything is dependent on Exp. Each level up will grant the player 1 skill point, and there is not level-up without gaining enough Exp. So, this is an essential skill to unlock under the ‘Fight’ skill set. This 5-level skill will increase the Exp gained by 5% at the first level, 10% at the second level, etc.

Intensive Training details: