You may already have a ton unlocked you didn’t even realize. That will help you incrementally, but the point of doing that is to unlock the perks underneath.
Do NOT focus on maxing the letter value alone. Usually after putting in one point, you will have to wait to level higher before you can do another, but with high numbers in specific letters, you can unlock great perks early. If you are level 10 Strength, for instance, that means you have access to at least the first level in ALL TEN perks under Strength.
You have to look not just across, but up and down. I’ve seen players start maxing out specific SPECIAL attribute letters early, or even trying to max out ALL of them, because they don’t understand how the system works. Though I really like the functionality of the skill tree, knowing how to use it can be tough. The Answer: Again, this is poorly explained in the game, and has the potential to derail your entire playthrough if you’re not careful. The Question: “Okay I’ve started maxing out the letters, when do I get perks?”
