So much like when I made that previous thread almost 4 years ago, I find myself in much the same situation: coming back to the game after a year off and wondering if any recent updates to the game should make me reconsider simply playing with Skill Rust off.
Indeed, what Skill Rust setting do you chaps use these days?
I’ve been going with the default, off, but have thought of turning it on at some point to try it out. I haven’t yet because, like you, I haven’t really read anything good about it, just complaints. It seems that once you get the bionic to stop skills from deteriorating, it would become almost a non issue anyway, which is another reason I just leave it at the default.
So the idea with skill rust is it only affects you with whatever you are leveling at the time. When you get up to skill levels where it really matters, generally you want to make sure that you get to the next full level. That’s pretty much the only effect that it has: you have to grind fully into the next level, instead of leaving the xp there.
All in all, it wont affect you so much, because it only kicks in after 3 levels, and it only drains the xp you have between levels. I leave it on, and I’ve never had an issue where I felt like it was punishing or unfair. Just makes you finish reading that book, instead of starting it and finishing it ~3 months later.