At what point is it worth learning openings?

why wouldn't a noob learn openings? I mean you don't need to learn them tbh. Just play and you stumble into openings, there are limited possibilities.

the short answer, noobs(<1000) dont play the moves people study, therefore it is a waste of time. You can really just do puzzles and play and that goes pretty far. when people say "learn openings", what they mean (or at least should) is when do you learn variations in depth(beyond a 10 min video). the answer to that is when your opponents start knowing moves AND that gives them an advantage over you. imo if your still ok out the opening, tactics and endgames are more worth it. for me this happened at ~1300-1400. and even then, you dont have to go out like 15-20 moves, just like 10-12. imo of you arent losing out the opening, then you know enough.

Like a number of previous responses, there's not too much point in learning opening theory 20 moves deep until way down the line as you'll never use it since your opponents won't know their side. Learn a few moves of what ever opening you like, just so you can get to familiar territory on a decent number of games, but spend most of your time working on reducing oversights (hanging pieces, not capturing hanging pieces of your opponents, etc), your calculations, basic tactics, and so forth. Learn to recognize checkmating patterns that might crop up, and learn how to use the opposition to win those King and Pawn endgames (and to recognize how to draw them if possible). Eventually, come back to your opening phase, and based upon your experience as what you're facing and getting into trouble with, look into that. For example, if you're an 1. e4 player and find you struggle against the French, or Caro Kan, then look into those to find out how to set up against them. You don't need to look into all the lines, just find one you can steer the game into, but again, just learn it a few moves deep, and only update when you've played a bunch of games and are starting to struggle again. The goal is not just to memorize and play opening theory, but to become familiar with the positions that arise, even if your opponent doesn't follow theory. You need to know how to play against those "out of book" choices, which you learn through experience. Doing that will also help "make sense" of the theoretical lines, making them easier to remember (and you're only adding on to your opening theory when you need to). As time goes by, you may find you know one line really well (say you play the Advance variation against the Caro Kan), and you're getting a bit bored with playing the same game so often. Then that's the time to start expanding your opening repertoire by adding another option. Just be prepared to lose a bunch of games, and rating, as you go through the whole process of building up your knowledge in that line.

Learning chess openings becomes worthwhile once you’ve grasped the basic principles of the game, such as controlling the center, developing your pieces, and ensuring king safety. Typically, this is around the intermediate level when you begin playing more serious games and face opponents who follow structured opening strategies. Understanding openings helps you gain early advantages, avoid traps, and enter the middlegame with a strong position. However, it’s crucial to balance opening study with tactics and endgames to develop well-rounded skills.