So I've just started in the Beta test and, while this was my opinion within the first 30 minutes, I've played for a few days before posting anything. There is too much grind in the early levels, I'm no expert at these types of games but I'd expect that after 3-4 days of serious play I'd at least be through 'beginners brigade'.
I wouldn't mind it so much if I got anything at all for all the work, but unless I finish the dungeon I've wasted my time for maybe 1-10 gold. A bit of grind, even unrewarding grind, is to be expected but this game has a TON.
I'm no game designer so I've no idea how to fix it (maybe re-balance things so that a same-level monster isn't a death sentence half the time in the normal dungeons?) Like I said, I'm sure that my skills are very low, but, as things are, if this had been a demo I would not buy the product.
Perhaps your target audience is people who are already very experienced with this type of puzzle/crawler in which case you've certainly hit your mark but as a total newbie I find the current learning-curve off-putting.
Sorry for all the negativity, I really like what you've put together here and think Desktop Dungeons will be an awesome experience once I've learned all the tricks I need to get through a dungeon. It's just my two-cents.
Ryan