The most challenging aspect of Dark and Darker for me

How can I purchase weapons when I find it difficult to escape the starting area? This is a genuine question. While I understand the game is intentionally challenging, I’ve encountered only a single escape tombstone, and unfortunately, it was positioned outside the safe zone, leading to my demise as I attempted to reach it.

The most challenging aspect of this game for me is navigating away from confrontations I’d rather avoid. On occasion, I spot an isolated enemy, dispatch them without sustaining any damage, and it feels like a victory. Yet, there are times (as in my last game) when I spawn within a room containing two goblins, which initially appears manageable. But unexpectedly, a mummy joins the fray, followed by two additional goblins closing in from behind, leading to my eventual defeat.

I assure you, I’m not merely venting; I’m genuinely perplexed. Is my situational awareness lacking? Do I require better knowledge of the map? Is there a glaringly obvious aspect that I’m overlooking? The goblins seem to possess an uncanny resilience, requiring more strikes to bring down than it takes for me. I’m confident that I’m committing some error, though I’m uncertain as to what precisely.

I’ve attempted various approaches, including utilizing shields, adopting a cautious repositioning strategy reminiscent of Valheim, embracing the dodge perk as a rogue to emulate the style of Dark Souls combat, and even attempting to exploit the rogue’s hide ability to lurk in a corner until an escape tombstone spawns on me. The latter strategy was the closest I’ve come to success by far. Nevertheless, I consistently find myself overwhelmed by the game’s various adversaries. Could it be that I’m not powerful enough and need to Dark and Darker GOLD to buy more gear?.

As for spike traps, is it inevitable to sustain damage when encountering them? Is there a way to maneuver around them? I’m concerned that in hindsight, I’ll regard this phase as a time of comedic ineptitude. But I’m sincerely inquiring whether this level of difficulty is by design or if I’m an outlier in terms of ineptitude.

I’ve been searching on YouTube for guides on how to defeat monsters in Dark and Darker mode. I’ve come to realize that perhaps my perception of necessary space to combat enemies might be skewed. It seems that with enemies like goblins, skeletons, and mummies, I might not require as much room as I initially believed. They tend to approach, initiate an attack, pause to strike, at which point I can step back slightly (or sidestep when dealing with an overhead swing), and subsequently strike the enemy a couple of times before repeating the process. This method can be effectively employed even within confined spaces, allowing me to dispatch melee enemies with relative ease. Additionally, blocking has proven to be a useful tactic.