Great times ahead for skillprogress!
But, I get a feeling that this isn't done only to be nice... will we
see a new nerf or even changes in skills before CE2 + new planets?
Feel free to shoot down my theory, but here it is.
With people like Yoda hitting lvl 150+ laser sniper, and a lot of other people progressing far faster than MA possibly thought possible when they launched the game, the game is quickly running out of challenges for those who started off early.
The non-linear skill progression was a first attempt at a fix, but not enough to level the playing field to satisfactory levels. Ergo, the only way to fix the situation is by ensuring that in the future, in order to hunt certain high level mobs, one will have to be lvl 120+ hunter.
The skill increase bonus could hint at a test to spot where to put the bar for the future, skill-wise. At the same time, it's an awesome event for noobish people, as they gain skills amazingly fast (tell your disciples), and for us mid-level peeps, it will level the playing field a bit.
In the short run, yes, skill chip prices will take a dip. In the long run, you're only screwed if you're selling as a result of the bonus.
My 2 pec.