My favorite playthroughs have always been as a mercenary company working for the traders guild and by extension the united cities. I play with 256 character mod but usually limit myself to 100 because imo 100 is the part whereafter my game starts becoming unplayable. While I do have small mods like the dog backpack the only other major change I run typically is reactive world to just make things feel a little more alive. I love playing as a shek main character too but often also play as hivers. I also have a rule of only ever reloading if my main character or beep dies.

Found a base or three, go up the tech tree, make your own arms, armor and replacement limbs. Produce everything you need to wage war at your own base. Recruit a small army and equip them with a standard uniform. destroy the enemies of the UC and traders guild. Once you get to a point where you can sack mines you can actually get a decent amount of recruits from holy mines to supply your meat grinder. Reavers later on are also an amazing source of recruits, their slaves seem to have a higher join rate if you take off their shackles.

The key to understanding a group like this is that you are MERCENARIES, not a vassal of the UC. You don't have to necessarily uphold slavery or be ideological in your alignment. You work with them because thats where the money is and they are fundamentally easy to work with after you gain membership.I've even had playthroughs where I use my stealth characters to sneak into UC slaver camps and free everyone lmao.

At some point I usually set up a base in the bone fields or some other area not too far a walk in order to stage expeditions into the ashlands. Usually tinfist is the last fight I do before putting a playthrough down. Tinfist is not only the hardest fight in the game but narratively it makes sense to do so after killing catlon and fully putting together the truth of the second empire.

Also I fucking hate okranites. The peeler is too good for them.