If you get 100 attitude with the armor merchant in Driftwood as soon as you arrive, and keep to selling/buying from him exclusively, still focus on getting level 5 barter, and you'll notice an even further drastic change in prices. 100 attitude will only cost like 1000 gold with that NPC - and that will get you like 33% off items and get you that much more when you sell. It's kinda crazy how much attitude value will adjust prices. You'll have achieved ROI and then some on your first big vendor dump in act 2, possibly even on your first big purchase.
I also loot literally everything. Not just thieving, but I pick literally everything up that isn't welded to the environment, even tainted fish. They're stackable, hardly weigh anything, and even though only sell for 1/2 gold, that's a few hundred more gold as soon as you get to act 2.
There are a few spots in and around Paradise Downs that, even though the Magisters are level 13, the fights are still doable at level 11 and you'll get quite a bit of level 13 gear from it which is nice not having to upgrade for another 3 levels. Just avoid that damn scarecrow group until later unless you can keep the main one CC'd or very far away from your group as you wreck his adds. They are weak AF without his aura/buffs. I was able to do this early on with a few teleport scrolls and just kept him all the way down the hill far away from the battle.
