To craft or not to craft… that is the question. One of the more important decisions you’re going to have to make when you load up the release version of Diablo 3 is what to do with all those Subtle Essence you have in your bag. No longer than 30-40 minutes into the game you’re going to meet your Blacksmith Artisan, who is going to teach you to salvage those magic items you’ve accumulated in your inventory. This is free, so there’s no reason not to do it. As a matter of fact, it’s going to be, at first, the easiest way to make gold in diablo 3. I’m not saying you’ll get rich selling Subtle Essence, but it’s going to be the first commodity available for trade and that’ shouldn’t be ignored.

Sooner than later you’re going to have a stack of Subtle Essence and you’re going to be staring Haedrig Eamon in the eyes. He’s going to have a few crafts and you’re going to have plenty of Subtle Essence to use crafting. To craft or not to craft…

You should decide before you start playing whether you’re going to be an artisan or not. If you decide to craft stuff, you’re going to burn a lot of valuable Essence before you make any gold. You might not make any gold. Early on, we won’t know how to value the gear we get from the crafters, and that early level gear is going to be out dated in minutes.

If you’re going to be a crafter then you should go all in. Be one of the first Blacksmiths to reach exalted and have the gold to invest in a large supply of materials to do some serious crafting. It’s too early to tell exactly how or if Blacksmiths will be profitable, since there will soon be a lot of casuals reaching exalted. If that’s a risk you’re willing to take then go for it. However, if you want to focus on making gold by selling essence to casual crafters and such, then you can completely ignore your blacksmith for everything except repairing and salvaging.

If you ignore Blacksmithing, sell every Sublte Essence you have as soon as you can. Repost every 2-6 hours in the first few days and 6-12 hours in the first week or two. This will ensure that you get the highest prices as the market will be quickly adjusting to lower prices as supply increases and demand stays strong.

Important: Many of the strategies and tips I share here were originally inspired by the people at the Diablo 3 Gold Secrets Forum. If you're serious about making the big bucks in Diablo 3, or just being the best players, you need to signup ASAP.