I picked the game up 4 or 5 months ago, played it for about a month and enjoyed it, but thought it needed a little more balancing so I put it down until after the H&H update. I think the stamina is better now personally. Getting the better food as you progress in the game definitely helps though.

I've only killed the first boss, and have dipped into the swamp enough to make some sausage and some good potions. With the food I can make at this point with the cauldron, especially some of the new food, it's good enough to easily get me through a gray dwarf raid with bronze armor and sword without having to kite around to let my stamina recharge.

To me, it's part of the fight mechanics of the game, and you just have to learn to fight with it. It's part of any game. I enjoy it mostly for the building, and to be able to just play a chill game, but if I want it to be more intense it can be. Just need to wander into the swamp again.

One of the things I like the most about it is that even as a beta there are no game breaking bugs that I have come upon, or really many bugs at all. I think that is one of the reasons for the slower development. It seems thoroughly tested before it's released. If you play No Mans Sky, a 5 year old game, the same can not be said. I enjoy that one too, but the after playing for a week after the last update, I had to walk away from it for a little while.