Yeah. The only distinction to be made is that raising them above the level of training and gear you can reasonably afford in the near future doesn't really add much (if anything) to your character's puissance.
I figure a point or two each in melee, armor, and stamina, that hunter armor, a better weapon, and possibly a shield will stand me in good stead to not have to flee from almost everything. Just need to collect a few dozen more cartons of smokes and a few hundred rolls of toilet paper, and I should be able to afford all of it.
Watch out. The shield is a trap choice. I mean it is possible to play defensively and the knockdowns are pretty good vs humanoids but I would rather spend my stamina on killing my enemies rather then on hiding behind a shield. Using a shield reduces the range of your attacks. I think radius and speed as well, but don't quote me.
Personally I like two-handers for their stagger/stunlock potential and great range and radius. They also give YOU better stability ("Parry" - poise). Well shields are even better for poise, but they are pretty bad for offense. Preferably Warhammers, even though their special attack sucks. Great synergy with Strenght, Stamina, some great skills, as well as armor requirements. Plus you can find a great Tier II in the wild. Greatswords are kinda weird with far reach but narrow strike radius and initial strikes split into multi-hits. Greataxes are pretty cool, but their 3rd or 4th attack in combo is broken.
Admittedly 1-handers are faster and probably more balanced for this combat system, but please don't use a shield with them. Well maybe pull it out for some duels or something.
Early on I've found investments in that good eater perk invaluable (triples food health recovery, later on makes a certain bone marrow soup game-breaking) and in increased Stamina capacity. Those I would beeline. I guess better armor rating is also worth it early on. Melee buffs are okay, but they really don't change a whole lot. It's the equipment that really matters.
Focus on finding/buying better gear. Find a Tier I ASAP and get the stats to use it. Before Tier I you cannot do much to your enemies due to very high armor. Then getting Tier II pretty soon would be good also. Tier III can wait. With Tier II you could beat the game, if you wanted to.
Like others have said, Elex potions can help get the required attributes early. And so do accessories if you can find (or craft) them. Not needing like 10-15 level's worth of attributes to wear stuff is huge - particularly important for higher Tiers, when attributes start to cost 5 points each!