I think game is too hard anyway, i get to lv43 gladiator - it took a lot of time, and i didn't found any "ultimate" weapon, one unique full plate mail (don't think so it's the best model - because it's Bovine Plate), few nice amulets, few rings (like nether coil, giant's knuckle) and playing before i found most of my stuff was pain in the a*s. Second thing is about stats requirement - it's no matter if u found a cool stuff or not... usually u even cannot check if it works as good as it look like. For example, on lvl about 28 or so i found unique thick plate mail. First time i've checked how it works was about lvl 38 or 39. Also there are many uniques which decrease main stat - for example baranar's maul for gladiator / paladin... -50..-60 str is so much, only once i've setup my char to wear this item, so i think finding such item doesn't change anything - it's just next part in my uniques collection.

About balancing - game needs to balance beginning... most people i've meet in MP games was needed help on beginning, because sometimes it's very easy to stuck here. For example few days ago i've started on single player (specially on single to have empty stash and no handicap), using scout character. First 2 lvls were hard, but i've passed them, then i bought a new weapon (price <3000, spent almost all gold on it). The weapon allows me to clean 1/2 of 3rd map, and then i had to repair it and didn't have enough gold. From my friends i know that it's quite common situation for archer, because 3 arrows shots damage bows much faster than single hits on swords (even if u hit 3 monsters in one hit, swords damages as normal in my observation, but bow - 3 times faster i think). When i started a new melee character, the problem was similiar but i got broke trying to repair armor. 2 situations described above can occur in dungeon / catacombs.

Other case occurs when character get to lvl30 with very average stuff (what can happen with big % of probability) - without good enough weapon or armor, or both. Then the char has to play in purgatory catacombs - which are much harder than any stage on horror difficulty (starting dungeon lvls don't give exp, so player has to go to catacombs). There is no chance, to find in catacombs any stuff which could help such character to get into, for example, hell on purgatory difficulty. So i think it's a trap, with only 2 solutions: 1) ask friends for help / items, 2) create next character and try to get stuff on horror mode. Basically my gladiator is 3rd character i play... previous 2 - paladin & archer stuck a little above lvl 30 in case described here.

2) gold

first - remove anvils of fury from the game. They can be found quite common in hell and below (i've collected more than 10 pcs already), hard to use - but not impossible with high lvl friends, but - unfortunately - they drastically reduce usage cost of items, decreasing role of gold. they may stay in the game, but should greatly increase items max durability - like 20-30 points per one anvil, instead of 255. I know that it's possible to disable indestructible stuff - game can act on 255 durability items as on normal stuff with high durability instead of indestr.
second - add some exploatation options which requires gold - for example - passing through some portals should require gold, identyfying items should be greater cost (best option would be base cost of item which is identyfying - that will not increase this cost greatly at the beginning but only on further stages, with double cost of identifying uniques), increase cost of big healing and big mana potions - beginners use small potions anyway, give special option to redistribute points in town - for example, 100 000 gold for redistribute 4 points like after mysterious shrine, add possiblity to "sharpen" weapon until end of current game - like old sharpness oils - with adequate price, for example +5% dmg points in weapon for half price of it, with similiar options to AC in armors / helms / shields. other nice option with gold - re-random items which could allow players to bring their "king heavy axe of titans", pay 200 000 gold or so and re-random axe to another "king heavy axe of titans" with randomed again king bonus, and randomed titans bonus (basically item would change slightly, but ... our strength is in numbers); of course double price for uniques. Another option is to create something like "blacksmith oil" option on griswold - permanently increase item's max durability, which should cost a lot in town, depends on item base price (for example base item price x 10 = cost of + 1 durability), but - in long time period - the repair cost of item will lower greatly.
other thing - add more items with spell charges - like rings, armors, etc, allowing all classes to cast spells; at the moment, if player is no duping stuff, it basically uses few spells (fury, tp, arcane shield, sometimes warp and fire/lightning walls) because he cannot afford to put more points in mag (of course if he's not a mage - mages uses all as always). So the spells could be available in any stuff type (best choice would be unique items), with low charges amount, and high adria's reload charges cost. So anyone could use teleport spell with proper items, but... each cast should cost a lot - like 5000 gold or so; in this case pure-mage staff like staves should have more charges, with much lesser cost of reload.

now i gtg, maybe later i'll describe other aspects from my point of view.

Actually, some already implemented in 1.58k.

Keep it coming. The more such info, the faster the game will evolve. To the point when it's hard to think out something that would improve it.

Why not to make this like dungeon-cats-crypts scheme? stairs to lv1 abyss can be found at diablo level and from town also. stairs to lv1 crypt can be found at lv4 abyss and town...