Yeah, thinking the same thing: you get an auto-crit if the Draugr doesn't hear or see you, or only hears you but doesn't see you (and they don't see too well). Some of those hits will stun, and if you land a second arrow while they are stunned, it's another crit. You can take a big chunk of hps off before they get close, if not kill them. Keep your eyes peeled and try to see them before they see you. I avoid fighting anything in straight melee (in the higher biomes... I'm always swatting flies in the lower biomes :P). It tends to be things which surprise me or are tough enough that they survive my arrows (one or two stars, or bigger creatures). And yeah it's a good idea to be quiet. Try to avoid fights (though I know the blobs seem to see you from miles away). I really learned to start doing this by the plains stage. Stuff can really hurt there; no sense in attracting unwanted attention.

I think it's actually easier inside the crypts, since it tends to be more controlled. The doorways in the entry room tend to be clogged up, so nothing can get to you to start with. You can mine out a crack in the goop and try to pick off enemies in the next room. This is done mostly at your leisure (though sometimes if the crack is too big and an archer is in the next room, you do need to dodge some arrows coming back at you). But you don't have to worry about some random aggro joining in the fight.

(I've mostly been a mace player btw. I liked the knockback on it. I have hardly done anything with 2handers; didn't want to sacrifice my shield. Maybe they're more useful than I thought.)

Originally posted by Migz - DH:

As for your concerns, OP, you should defeat the Elder. Once you've done that, pick up some iron, and make a few upgraded pieces. While in the swamp, use bows, imo, until you become more survivable.

Oh gee... I missed he hadn't killed him yet. :) You can't get into the crypts until you've killed the elder, so all those comments are wasted. Well, you really need to get into those crypts to get that iron. :) I think you can get it occasionally from drops outside the crypts, but 99% is inside.

Originally posted by Terratrox:

I feel like I should be stealthing the swamp, but my stealth skills are terrible and they don't help when the draugr come 3 - 5 at a time and kill in 2 hits.

Btw, my comments about being quiet don't mean full on stealth mode. I've hardly used the sta-draining crouched stealth either; it's just more about taking it slow, avoiding fights, killing things if necessary at range before they get close and make a big noisy melee fight, etc.

You could just run into the crypts with the swamp key. You should be fine fighting the stuff in the crypts. I did that aswell, first boss buff helps immensly getting through the swamps... I gotta admit it is hard at night. But perfectly doable without fighting a single mob.

It's easy to get overwhelmed there. But I'm also confused as hell by your comments saying how less dmg you do. I did 3 crypts full with draugr with upgraded bronze mace only. And they are dead within 3-4 hits.

Poison attacks from blobs are nasty tho.

This Just In, root armor does the trick

I don't take HALF the damage that I used to. The draugr archers are still a problem, but I don't have to worry about getting bodied by every single enemy that gets a hit off on me.

Meadows/Black Forest/ Swamp/ Mountains / Plains.

Swamp comes next. Some of my ideas for swamp survival:

• Try making some poison resist potions.
  
• Use lots of arrows: Draugr move slowly; plenty of time to take em down when they are far away (but don't underestimate their ability to close the distance when they get close!). Try to do the same with blobs, to avoid their aoe poisons.
  
• Careful of water; you're safe from leeches on land. Look for circular ripples for evidence they're swimming around. Might want to take them with arrows too, from land where it's safe. Leech blood pouches make heal potions too; might come in handy!
  
• At first, don't enter the swamp at night. You will be both cold and wet; it really hurts your stamina regen rate. Wraiths spawn at night too (even tougher).
  
• If you kill some Draugr, grab their intestines; you can make good food with them. It's still my staple food since its ingredients are so easy to get. Always helps to have as much good food as you can get. Since you're always wet, I think stamina food has increased importance in the swamp too.
  
• If you see Draugr corpse piles, prioritize them. There are patterns to watch for: they are often in the abandoned stone towers. There are also flat spots with standing stones; those always have two corpse piles and one skeleton spawner. Shoot arrows from afar; they spawn Draugr fast and you don't want to have to deal with that onslaught (and they love to spawn the Draugr Elites... super nasty ones)!
  
• If you find and clear a ruined tower, if it's one of the two-story kind, you can usually build a really simple camp on the ground floor. The second floor acts as a roof, keeping the rain off and your fire lit. Put the fire under/on the stairway; the smoke will vent up through the stairwell. There is often a break in the wall on the opposite side for your entrance. You won't need to build anything except the fire, workbench, and bed. It's the cheapest camp I think I've found pretty much anywhere. It's not that much more work to put a roof up in the more hollowed out ones either. I actually look forward to finding those towers in the swamp now, since it means a pretty easy campsite. Keep that rested buff going!
  
• Pick turnip seeds and grow turnips. More recipes, better food.
  
• Get down into those crypts (use your crypt key to unlock) and get some iron scrap; that is the next tier of gear. It will make everything much easier.
  
• In the crypts, you can approach the rooms cautiously by burrowing out the goop from one side of a doorway, leaving an opening narrow enough that the room's occupants can't come through, but you can pick them off with arrows. Yeah, arrows again... (I've used a lot of them.)

Originally posted by Brew:

Swamp comes next. Some of my ideas for swamp survival:

Good ideas. But that's not what I'm having a problem with. It's more that the enemies 2 shot me through blocks with a maxed Bronze Buckler and maxed Bronze/Trollhide armor and my best foods (things like the deer and carrot soup, boar jerky, and queen's jam or whatever it is). I just built the fermentor for meads, but they don't help when I take that much damage. Additionally, even regular Draugr are surviving 6 - 7 hits with my maxed bronze mace, and I have some 45 club skill.

Keep in mind they're maxed as far as I can tell. There's additional levels to a few of my things, but they require a T5 workbench or forge, and I don't think that comes until much later.

Well you are not supposed to get hit a lot from swamp mobs. You can also use parries for the extra dmg you seem to need. Fighting in the swamps without getting a dumpload of iron before isn't such a good idea.

My own personal advice, poison res pots, Bronze Atgeir secondary attack which is a 360 degree swing attack that auto stuns almost all things, and learning to roll attacks and manage your stamina.

Again, my advice is learning to manage your stamina and REALLY learn when to roll. Rolling makes you untouchable for over a full second! Learn when to roll for each enemy's attack and you can slaughter an entire group.

Atgeir master race right here. I love the weapon and its attacks. It serves best for mobs. Time your rolls and the spacing and you can dominate groups of any melee enemy groups. As for any ranged enemies, time your rolls and focus and target them first.

Originally posted by TyresTyco:

Well you are not supposed to get hit a lot from swamp mobs. You can also use parries for the extra dmg you seem to need. Fighting in the swamps without getting a dumpload of iron before isn't such a good idea.

Oh this IS with me getting parries. Without parries it's closer to 8 or 9 hits. And how would you get iron if the only way to get it is IN the swamp? (beyond going to even further along biomes, that is)

Originally posted by ShaftAlmighty:

My own personal advice, poison res pots, Bronze Atgeir secondary attack which is a 360 degree swing attack that auto stuns almost all things, and learning to roll attacks and manage your stamina.

Again, my advice is learning to manage your stamina and REALLY learn when to roll. Rolling makes you untouchable for over a full second! Learn when to roll for each enemy's attack and you can slaughter an entire group.

Atgeir master race right here. I love the weapon and its attacks. It serves best for mobs. Time your rolls and the spacing and you can dominate groups of any melee enemy groups. As for any ranged enemies, time your rolls and focus and target them first.

I actually dislike the Atgeir. The spinning attack is neat, but my old Deersmasher or whatever it was has the same effect, but leaves you open to hits a lot less often, and the Atgeir's normal attacks are similar to Spear in that they have a very narrow attack vector, so fighting multiple enemies is a pain unless you almost exclusively spin to win. (not to mention each spin costing TWENTY STAMINA)

By the way, I'm not actually running out of stamina... most of the time anyway. I roll to evade attacks, then get shot in the back by an arrow once, and drop to 40% health. If I parry the melee, I have a chance at getting to the ranged before they kill me, but that also assumes only 1 ranged enemy spawns at a time. My record for ranged enemies is 6 in the swamp. 4 draugr, 1 Surtling, and 1 skeleton archer. (2 of the Draugr were 2 stars and instakilled me when they hit me)

May need to address your playstyle and what kind of foods youre using. Too much stamina food and your block meter craps out. Too much HP/block food and your stamina craps out. Best to go for a balanced approach.

Also; like they said, try to make your way carefully. Take enemies out by getting a solid sneakshot with the bow and letting them come to you rather than wading in amd attracting several groups at once.

The swamp has a much different playstyle than the Black Forest on purpose, and the subsequent zone all play differently too.

Good luck!

*just to add---
On my new playthrough after the Hearth & Home changes, I found having a bone tower shield worked better for the damage jump going from BF to Swamp.

Upgraded bone shield can tank Abominations, but ☆\☆☆ Draugr will still T R U C K you so watch out.

Originally posted by Soulstinger:

May need to address your playstyle and what kind of foods youre using. Too much stamina food and your block meter craps out. Too much HP/block food and your stamina craps out. Best to go for a balanced approach.

Also; like they said, try to make your way carefully. Take enemies out by getting a solid sneakshot with the bow and letting them come to you rather than wading in amd attracting several groups at once.

The swamp has a much different playstyle than the Black Forest on purpose, and the subsequent zone all play differently too.

Good luck!

What should I be taking then? I'm rocking 117 health and 110 something stamina with a full meal. I feel like I should be stealthing the swamp, but my stealth skills are terrible and they don't help when the draugr come 3 - 5 at a time and kill in 2 hits.

Also, upgraded Bronze Buckler does well for abominations. They're probably the least dangerous enemy (other than Leeches. I don't think I've even been hit by leeches yet) that I've fought.

Imo, the Bronze Armor to Iron Armor jump is too large. The Swamp was very difficult for me to take any damage even with maxed Bronze, but with fully-upgraded Iron equipment, the Swamp was a cakewalk. (Although, with better food and poison resistance, perhaps the difficulty curve would have been much different, but new players don't know how to get those things.)

I think that the best pieces of Bronze gear should have 1-2 more armor apiece, and that would make the armor progression smoother.

As for your concerns, OP, you should defeat the Elder. Once you've done that, pick up some iron, and make a few upgraded pieces. While in the swamp, use bows, imo, until you become more survivable.

Oh right. I should also say that my biggest Swamp is bordering ocean and mountain. It's the length of an entire continent but only maybe 20 meters across.