I’ve mostly been killing Vardorvis because I think it’s fun and challenging, but in the last 5 kills I’ve made a total of 25k (mith javelins, lots of lava runes, etc.) and definitely burned more than that in supplies. Maybe it’s a skill issue, but I am definitely in the hole quite a bit when death costs are so high and it’s super easy to die at Vard.
I’ve heard that the value of your loot depends on how ‘perfect’ you are at killing it. If you sturggle with it, you won’t be rewarded as much.