You have 6 different skills you can invest skill points in from experience points you gain from killing players, killing NPC’s, mining, converting planets for your faction. With each skill point assigned the individual cost of skill goes up. So you could focus on what matters and then chase up the rest you need later on at lowered cost cause it didn’t rise with the rest of your skills. The best way to gain exp is by shooting NPC’s in high valued systems like Rigel for beginners, Dhube for advanced. (Piloting Skill requirement)
Command: This skill determines your influence over your faction. At 50 command you are able to vote and gainthe position of council for your faction. The more influence you have the more options you gain on politically, diplomatically and faction level. Right now commands functionality goes up to 100. At 25 allows you to fly R2 ships, 50 allows you to vote and fly R3 ships, at 70 lets you fly R4 ships and at 100 it allows you to fly R5 ships.
Piloting: Determines your speed in combat, the accuracy of your weapons. Systems are also pilot level locked. Meaning that you need a certain amount of piloting to access/enter specific systems. Keep in mind those you aren’t qualified for are also invisible to you.
Engineering: The more engineering skills you have the more % shield or hull your ship can restore per “tick”. (A tick is approx 15 seconds of refreshment of movements on the map also the rate of your attacks and actions of both player and NPCs).
Building: Every building can be built in levels which scale on cost, time to build. Each building has a specific set of building skill requirement. Building costs credits instead of minerals as it used to be. There are still several sorts of building types. Example. Colony & Ecology both provide workers in different quantities per level. Cost is different as well. Time to build too. Colony is technically a Tier 1 building and Ecology a Tier 2.
Gunnery: Determines damage output of your weapons on your ship. Also increases slightly the chance to make critical hits.