Hello everybody. I am playing PST for the first time, having a blast. After doing all the complete-able quests in the Hive areas and reaching level 6 as a Fighter, I met Old Mebbeth, and since then, I've been playing TNO as a Mage. Love me some magick! The spells look and feel awesome.

I have just finished the Weeping Catacombs, Dead Nations (on friendly terms), and Warrens of Thought (on hostile terms). I am now about to enter the Drowned Nations. I just reached level 7 as a Mage, with 9 Str, 9 Dex, 14 Con, 17 Int, 16 Wis, and 16 Cha. I'm also wearing tattoos: the +2 Wis tattoo, the +1 Wis tattoo, and the +1 Int Mage tattoo... so my Int is actually 18, and my Wis is actually 19. And playing TNO as a nice guy, my current alignment is Lawful Good.

I am breezing through the game. That is to say: combat has been rather easy, even with TNO as a Mage.

Exceptions: I did the Mausoleum quest, very early on as a low-level Fighter with just Morte, and therein had a couple of close calls (down to exactly 1 HP two different times) and a couple of lucky breaks (one of the Giant Skeletons got stuck while chasing me, allowing Morte to crunch him, and then later we bumm-rushed the Necromancer, and luckily he never got any spells off).

Other exceptions: Dak'kon died once in the Catacombs, and Morte died once in the Warrens (both remedied by TNO's Raise Dead ability). Dak'kon seemed kind of wimpy, so I returned to the Hive and bought him the +2 Str tattoo and the +2 Con tattoo... and now Dak'kon is a veritable stud. Morte died because I was breezing through the wererats too easily, fell asleep at the wheel, and got cornered by a large group of cranium rats and their effective balls of lightning.

I even follow a self-imposed restriction when I'm playing: I only rest once a night, and only in the evening hours. And still, I'm getting through the game just fine without min/maxing or otherwise power-gaming. For me, seeing the most story and dialogue options is the most important.

So, being at the doorstep of the Drowned Nations, I think I am close to getting Mr.P. his missing B.S. and (I assume) returning to the Hive. At that point I plan to tell Emoric about Soego, and (I assume) finally get invited to join the Dustmen faction.

I always try to interject myself into the main character of these games, to enhance the escapism entertainment. So thus I'm playing a Lawful-Good-Guy, and of course don't personally agree with the Dustmen's beliefs and creed. So with that said....

QUESTION #1:

To see the most in a single playthough that this game has to offer, should I join the Dustmen faction? (Please no spoilers.)

Also, I know that there are seven total NPC's that can join.

I love Morte and Dak'kon. They feel so different in so many ways from the likes of Jaheira, Khalid, Imoen, Keldorn, etc. Morte with his damage resistances and litany of curses ability, and Dak'kon with his tattoos and spells and Zerthimon, are amazing in combat, and feel like they are a big part of the story too.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to dig Annah, because a Fighter/Thief will add an interesting dynamic of abilities to the mix. Not to mention she is voiced by Sheena Easton! (How on earth did -that- happen?)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to dig Ignus, because I can't wait to see his fire spells in action.

With Morte, Dak'kon, Annah, and Ignus, my TNO can be any class, and the party will still have all the bases covered. (Although I'll probably stick with TNO as a Mage.)

So for the final spot, the choice is keeping only one of the following: Fall-From-Grace, Nordom, or Vhailor.

QUESTION #2:

To see the most in a single playthough that this game has to offer, which two NPC's should I skip? (Please no spoilers.)

Thanks so much for any opinions shared!

Re: Joining Dustmen: Factions are honestly a very optional part of the story, they do provide some unique items/abilities, but you won't really lose anything of importance if you avoid them. So, you can go and join the Dustmen right now, or wait until you get to see all of the other joinable factions and then pick the one you think suits you best, or just stay out of any faction.

Re: Companions: This is tricky. With Morte, Dak'kon and Annah providing story-related information, you aren't going to miss anything important either way. On the other hand, Grace and Nordom are notable for the amount of banter they initiate, so if you're into that, you'll want to keep them both. Grace also has something to say about some of your other companions, which can have interesting consequences. But you'll get a fair amount of time to decide who to keep and whether to leave a spot for Vhailor (who you meet much later), because for now you can just drop and re-recruit your companions whenever you like. So don't worry about this for now.

To get most from your first playthrough bash your had against the wall until you've forgotten all the spoilers you've read or at least don't add additional ones, play the game your way. You can afford to add the party members you like instead of those you think offer most to the story.
Let joining the dustmen depend on whether or not your character shares their opinions and thinks that they're doing a good thing.