I've seen this before with the first game. The new version is actually way more approachable when you're just starting out especially with combat. They've made some really nice changes to how fighting works - the attacks feel more natural and you can actually see what's going on better with those stance indicators. Something interesting, you can spend time training with Sir Robard to really get the hang of things, and there's proper practice areas now which is super helpful for getting comfortable with the mechanics.

The lockpicking's been tweaked too which is a massive relief if you struggled with it before. The minigame flows better now, and as you level up your skills it actually gets easier to handle those tricky locks. Tip: make sure to check out the Locksmith perks, they'll save you a bunch of broken lockpicks in the long run.

They've added some other nice touches too - like you won't lose hours of progress anymore since it saves more often, and there's better hints in the codex about what weapons work best against different armor types. The quest markers are there if you need them but they're not in your face about it. Everything still feels pretty realistic but at least now you've got some breathing room while you're learning the ropes.