Originally posted by Ɣɪ¢♰ɪɱƧ:

That's quite a possibility. I was running while having my path blocked when I took the hit and my whole stamina dropped. Maybe that's the combo that makes it impossible to recover.

I started upgrading my bronze armour and I'll look for a different swamp, see if it's less dense with enemies and has at least some mineral. Not sure if I like fighting with the shield though. There's no animation cancelling AFAIK so hitting and trying to block when the enemy is winding up is hard because no matter how fast I am I have to wait for my animation. I prefer the deer hammer that knocks enemies back so I don't have to block. Although brutes tend to be immune.

Thank you for your answer.

You're welcome! And if you like the stagbreaker you'll love the iron sledge once you can craft it. It's still one of my favorite weapons. I also suggest the atgeir if you're not fond of the shield, as two handed weapons do allow some parry as well now. Just keep some stamina and health potions on you! Good luck!