haven't played before H&H much. cuz i've bought the game in august. so i have little to compare.
but i think the game is playable and fairly easy (you decide how difficult it'll be by investing in food and armor). imho as long as you have 3 food (my usual setups are 1health-1stamina-1balanced(general exploration), 1stamina-2health(boss fights) or 2stamina-1health(archery and harpoon usage)) and have rested bonus (sitting near the camp can give you rest1. so there is no excuse not to have it ...except ocean travelling) you'll be fine even if your food is 1-2 tiers below (though i wouldn't recommend blocking cuz with low tier food you'll be staggered a lot).