If you are not liking the grind then u can use the in game cheat. Go to the stump atbyhe bottem-left of Weirdwood (above spider cave). Click on the pebble side of the stump to activate cheat mode. This will reveal a number of red chests in certain places that give money, ingredients & potions to help speed up the process on some things (still only use what you need & once a chest is used that's it, it cant be re-opened).
Chest Locations:
-Outside the Stable
-Mayor's House (once u become mayor this one will disappear & a new one appears in the cornor).
-Sacred Well
-Witch's Hut
-Tower of Dread (Erevi's Room)
I haven't played this game in a very, very long time... But this is basically how I used to do it.
Note first : Always pick up all the resources from every location
Step 1 : Get Smith Dog and get dagger.
Step 2 : Kill Goblin up north and get reward.
Step 3 : From reward buy sheep and accept recover clothing quest
Step 4 : Go to Ogre lady and recover Clothes.
Step 5 : Get your reward.
Step 6 : Go to empty house and read note on the door, then go to Victoria and rent the house from the reward money.
Step 7 [Optional] : If you have HP left, go kill one or two goblins to the south.
This makes it so that you have a house with a good bed on your very first day, and that you can recover your HP and MP fully with each rest right away.
From then on out I usually just spent couple weeks killing goblins to the south and gathering up a stockpile of resources until you are fully geared up and have a nice supply of potion ingredients.
No cheats needed.
