The swamp is, in my opinion, the largest difficulty spike of the game. You have limited tools to deal with its challenges, and, especially when considering the power of "Starred" enemies (Two Star Archers can very much one shot you even in Fully Upgraded bronze) the confluence of obstacles is a good gatekeeper to chase away the people who thought this game was casual.

The swamp teaches you several critical lessons all at once, and these lessons you need to get, in order to be successful for the rest of the game.

First and Foremost: Choose your battles well: If you run gung-ho at every mob you see, you will eventually find yourself floating helpelessly in chest-high water, while leeches, blobs and archers kill you in the most frustrating manner. Finding an Abomination in a bad spot will also spell certain doom, as they can knock you into deep waters making you easy prey.

The lesson: Bait enemies to you. Just because you're the aggressor doesn't mean you have to be the pursuer. You can control the engagement location, do not surrender this critical advantage to the enemy

Lesson 2: The right tool for the right job. More than any other Biome, the Swamp plays into resistances and weaknesses. Many enemies are weak to Blunt, including the zone boss, and virtually everything will be resistant to fire because of the connstant wetness status effect. When in crypts, DPS becomes a critical element, because you may be up against multiple enemy spawners. The longer these spawners remain, the more likely they are to push out a deadly two-star enemy.

Advanced Tip: Learning the mechanics of the game can save you, Monster Spawners will only spawn 2 enemies within a certain radius. If there are already 2 weak enemies up, you should prioritize killing the SPAWNER and not the mobs, as its spawn slots have been taken by weak enemies. What you do not want, is to struggle your way into the spawn room by killing one by one, only to have a two star Draugr, or worse, Draugr Archer pop right on you.

The Lesson: Knowledge is power; Know your foe, exploit his weaknesses, he will assuredly exploit any of yours.

Lesson 3: Preparation is key: Emblematic of this core lesson is the ubiquitous nature of poison in the swamp. While not impossible to survive without poison mead, it comes highly recommended, especially for your first bronze-clad expedition. Properly leveled foodstuffs (At this stage you should have access to Sausages via the Draugr Entrails, which are exceptional food) make a huge difference between getting one-shotted, and surviving with enough HP to flee and regroup. Additionally, you will become intimate with the Rested Buff, or have an exceedingly miserable time. The rested buff is THE MOST POWERFUL BUFF IN THE GAME AND SHOULD BE PERPETUATED WITH 100% UPTIME IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. This means carrying materials for a campfire, but it also means understanding when and where you can camp. Since it's constantly raining in the swamp, you may need to repurpose an abandoned structure, put the fire (And yourself) under a log, or even camp at the entrance of a crypt. You can also bring portal materials to teleport home to have a longer duration rested buff. The cold will also be your enemy, as it's the antithesis to the rested buff. Being cold and unrested is a death sentence in the swamp. You have almost no stamina or health regen under this circumstance.

The Lesson: Tactics win battles, Logistics win Wars, and the swamp is a War of attrition.