Let me help break down the different ways you can handle quests. Combat timing is really crucial here - when you're directly fighting you'll want to watch enemy attack zones since the system now uses 4 directions instead of 5 making it a bit more manageable but still demanding precise blocks and counters. For stealth runs, the crouch button (C on PC) is your friend and you'll want to stay aware of guard patrol patterns, especially around their recovery animations which give you about 2-3 seconds to move in for takedowns.

The key thing about social approaches is watching NPC schedules and reputation thresholds. Most traders have specific times when they're more receptive to Persuasion Checks, and your success rates improve dramatically if you're wearing region-appropriate clothing during conversations. Guard patrols switch at dawn and dusk which creates perfect windows for either sneaking or talking your way through.

Timing tip - when doing stealth takedowns you've got exactly 1.5 seconds to drag bodies before nearby NPCs start their detection checks. For combat, watch the enemy's weapon arm position since they telegraph heavies about 0.8 seconds before striking. Social Checks work best between 8am-11am game time when most NPCs are at their daily reputation reset point. Remember that combining approaches often works best - maybe start with talking then switch to stealth if things go south but always keep combat as your backup since enemies remember failed persuasion attempts.