memes

Yes, if you're at that point in the main story, it's a great time to take a break and do a bunch of side quests. Come back to it when you're better prepared.

So I shouldn’t be that upset that 1v1 bandits are very hard and anything more is actually impossible for me?

Nope, totally in line with my experience. It takes a fair amount of practice before Henry can consistently beat anybody, and you always have to be careful fighting groups of enemies. I would suggest picking a weapon type you like, and training with Bernard until you can consistently execute a perfect block. That's a real game-changer in any fight. If you run out of stamina, you're going to die.

Mace or axe paired with a shield is probably the most forgiving style. You can bash your way through any fight, provided you keep your guard up, and don't let anyone get behind you. For taking on groups, you have a few options, but you'll generally want to string out the enemy so you're not taking on more than one or two at a time.

Archery is very powerful if you get good at it, but it takes a fair bit of practice just to get to competent. Get yourself a decent pair of gloves or bracers that you like, and you can use the contours to help line up where your arrow will go. Don't try to use a bow that you're not strong or dextrous enough to draw yet. Once you can hit the bullseye at the Rattay archery range pretty consistently, work on hitting the moving targets on the river up in Ledetchko. Hunting game in the woods is also a good way to practice. Just make sure you bring plenty of arrows!

Stealth is often very handy, and once you skill it up a bit, you can do silent takedowns with a dagger. In this way, you can carefully clear out bandit and Cuman camps at night, and scoop up lots of gear to sell. Several of the millers will be able to train you in stealth and lockpicking.

If you steal anything expensive, your best bet is to stash it in your chest at home until it no longer appears stolen. This will take longer for more valuable objects. If you're desperate for cash, the millers will fence it for you at a steep discount. Invest in some good saddlebags as soon as you can—you can find them at the stables in Merhojed, Neuhof, and Uzhitz.

Be especially careful in the western part of the map; some of the bandits you'll encounter there will be very well-equipped and well-trained mercenaries. Sometimes you'll stumble upon a small battle between bandits, cumans, and/or local guardsmen. These can be opportunities to scoop up some loot without doing the fighting. Just be careful; guards won't look kindly on you stripping their comrades' bodies. This can also be a good way to deal with groups of enemies; make them chase you into a guarded settlement.

All I can think of at the moment—hope it helps!

ETA: just remembered one thing I wish I'd known early on. While the vast majority of quests aren't time-sensitive, some are, so pay attention to the quest text. Also, minor oblique spoiler: >!a few quests related to your friends from Skalitz will turn out differently depending on how long you put them off.!< The game doesn't really tell you this, and it can be a real gut-punch down the line.