How exactly do you play this game now...?

[proposal]

Hello everyone. i've been away for quite some time. I quit right around MistyMire was released (event though I did purchase the lost shards pack).

Well..now i've returned and also purchased the barbarian.

I'm a bit confused on how exactly you're suppose to play.

You see,the reason I decided to stop playing (along with my friends) was because the >only< way to get gear actually worth a damn was through survival.

And..survival is aweful.
Aweful.
Aweful.
Complete borefest, goes WAY to slow, and is mind-numbingly painful.

With the introduction of Nightmare (which is seemingly impossible.) I'm a bit confused on what to do.

Am I suppose to farm insane survival for gear?
My main characters are a tower countess with 300+ in stats,an aura monk,and my barbarian..
I made it to alch lab wave 15 on survival before kobolds phased/bugged through my baracades and loloneshot my crystal..2 hoursish wasted completely. Didn't get a single piece of gear with 40+ upgrades.

So..what am I suppose to be doing? Going to sleep while playing survival for gear to compete in nightmare,or is there an alternative to gear? Will insane campaign give me nice rewards?

edit:forgot to include i use an aura monk

[Dreemlife]

Try the guide forums and please dont spill your can of worms on this game and its game modes it has to offer. Yes survival can be boring, but it can be quite exciting to, if you dont overgear it by much.

[proposal]

The only
only
only
reason survival is boring is because the incredibly unfair amount of time each wave takes..
Playing 2-4 hours to reach wave 20 just to have a chance at RNG gear is not cool.
it would be different if the game's mechanics were...different (@.@)
Maybe mazing, or so. idk.
Survival is still the only way to get gear?

[gremjs03]

Step 1) Farm glit inane until 74
Step 2) Do spires nightmare for mythical gear. Even making it past the 1st wave the chests can net you gear with 80-90^ upgrades.
Step 3) Equip mythical gear to help do other nightmare levels.

[Darqion]

yea, do spires NM untill you have some mythics. start doing spires HC (or start with it.. doesnt matter too much) and keep farming untill you can beat it.

After this you can try your luck on misty NM. The first few waves are doable even at lower stats if you just hang around when the ogres start to hit on your stuff. Making an apprentice might help, i am not sure how the squires play now. Theyare supposed to be buffed so i guess it can work too... And thats where i am stuck now atm.. i can make it to the last wave of misty now at some times, but i get pummeled into submission in any survival mode :p

[Janitorus]

To add on what was already suggested, you could buy some nice armors and weapons in AFK shops if you really wanted to. Makes starting out on Endless Spires Nightmare a bit easier as well. Not required though.