Compare your unlocked maps
Use Map (M) to choose two or three unlocked Normal maps that you can clear repeatedly. Compare them with the same equipment, skills and XP buffs. A higher enemy level or a higher difficulty does not by itself prove faster leveling.
Record starting and ending XP, elapsed minutes, completed runs, deaths and stops for healing or carriage space. XP gained ÷ elapsed minutes compares the complete loop; XP per clear alone can favor a run that takes much longer. If you cross a level, include both parts of the XP bar. Repeat a close result before changing your farming map.
Start with a map you can clear reliably, then test the next unlocked one. This method helps you compare your own results; no map benchmark has been measured here.
Fix lost upgrades before buying more bonuses
Check Carriage Settings. Leaving an equipment rarity on Auto-Sell can dispose of a weapon upgrade before you compare it. Keep useful rarities on Pick Up while filling weak slots, and use Auto-Sell only for gear you no longer need.
In a Steam discussion, a player stuck with a common bow stopped auto-selling Uncommon equipment, upgraded their bow and reported progressing past the wall. That example shows why the filter is worth checking, though it does not establish the best setting or a clear-time improvement for every character.
Balance XP bonuses with healing and survival
XP Gain I gives +10% experience and costs 150 gold after Auto Recovery, the 50-gold root: 200 gold from a fresh tree. Do not count an owned root twice. Equip useful XP bonuses only while the character still clears reliably.
Use Auto Refill when depleted Health Potion charges repeatedly stop the run; its full early path costs 700 gold. Upgrade the Health Potion when the next level tier opens. Handle carriage capacity before claiming an unattended loop is sustainable.
Expedition Camp gives gold and XP while away, based on the highest area unlocked and claimed on entering town. Its full initial path costs 950 gold. That is a different reward mechanism from the timed active-map comparison above.
Do not force a difficulty jump
Nightmare requires clearing the final Normal boss; Inferno requires the final Nightmare boss. Switching difficulty is a town action. The current reference data gives higher XP multipliers alongside much higher enemy health, so those bonuses alone do not establish better XP per minute.
If deaths, healing stops or mana pauses rise, return to the last stable map and address the shortfall. When the complete loop improves, repeat the same comparison. Do not copy another character’s reported hours to a level as your guaranteed schedule.