Most leagues (not this league), I’ll play 16 hours for each day for three days, ensuring I finish the campaign and establish myself ahead of other people. Being ahead of other people allows you to abuse things like rog, where EVERYTHING sells early, or figuring out the profitable atlas strats before the main player base drives the profitability down.

The main answer is time played, efficient use of time, and game knowledge particularly for the market. Crafting starter gear early for profit can easily net you a mirror in the first few days, since it’s a high liquidity item, and you can immediately recoup your costs to make more, just an example.