Sure, what you’re doing kinda works, but your characters keep dying off. Playing conservatively? Try playing a character as though the “iron-man” stairs setting is in effect. You’ll probably want some ranged weapons for this, but you may be surprised how fast you can level if you DIVE! Granted, the lower levels are harder, but the deeper you go, the more experience per kill you get. Still fight conservatively, but dive aggressively. Once your character has gotten a decent complement of items and spells … (what next?). Don’t be afraid to throw away characters – DIVE aggressively until you get a good feel for your character and you’ve leveled up.