Ok, I suppose if your primary goal in this game is to get to
level 50 as quickly as possible, then selling the crown and
using the plat to equip yourself is the way to go. Just
remember, there will *always* be something bigger and meaner
than you in this game for you to fight. While advancing
quickly may inflate your ego (and I don't mean that in a
derogatory way), it deprives you of time to explore and
experience things meant for people your current level, good
and bad. Some day, a level 15 player will gaze at your level
45 awesomeness, and ask you for advice, and you will be unable
to give him any because at his level you had equipment way
beyond his means.

I never did understand people who paid $49.95 for Diablo, then
immediately hacked themselves 50th level characters. If you
sell the crown and buy yourself full bronze armor, a barbed
whip, and dragoon dirk, I predict you will be very very bored
for the next 10-15 levels because the only thing you'll have
to look forward to is leveling. Just about everything dropped
by stuff you fight until you reach about level 25 is going to
be inferior to the equipment you bought at level 13.

Just my opinion. To each his own.

--
John H. Kim
kim@...