Ok have to say absolutely LOVING the rest of the game so far but this Quest chain "Beat on the Brat" is absolutely insane.

First off the NPC being able to hit you from a DISTANCE as well as track your movement while they attacking is infuriating considering their hitboxes are ridiculously small for such big targets.

Please look at these quests because at higher levels without a melee build they are virtually impossible to kill especially if im dealing 2% of their health per hit with Legendary Gorrilla Arm equipped and over 400 health I get 1 to 2 shot by these guys... please FIX!!

Yeah, those things are insane.
I managed to beat all opponents with a HUGE effort and get to the final.
After like 30 tries I finally managed to win that fight too, only for that progress being lost with an update... needless to say I'm never getting close to that questline ever again.

I could be wrong, but there seems to be an inverse relationship between how prepared you are and how tough this gig can get.

Playing through with characters that were built for unarmed combat (high body stats, high blunt damage, gorilla arms, etc. etc.) the opponents were an absolute slog, like you both said.

BUT

Playing with a netrunner with 3 body and no blunt skill whatsoever, I could knock out my opponents in, like, 3-4 hits.

If you need to finish the fights again, invest some points in health regeneration, learn how to stop charges with a well-timed quick punch, and never hit your opponents with more than a 2-3 hit combo (sooner or later they'll counter and their counters tend to wipe out most of your health). Just pick at them, move, and never let them start their power moves. It's boring, but it works.

The latest update (1.5) fixed it, did you download the patch?

To me it was the same slog either al lvl 3 and at lvl 50, so the opponents were always a slog... I have but, like I said, I've never tried those quests again. I'll give them a go and see.

I was making a case for character build, rather than level, but -- yeah -- I'm with you: neither approach was all that thrilling. When it was easy, it was too easy, and when it was hard, it was frustrating.

Just finished the quest again in 1.5. The fights are a lot easier now.

Pre-1.5, I had to tiptoe around Razor, picking at him until he eventually fell over. Yesterday, I just pushed him into a corner and pummeled until the fight stopped. I think he countered ONCE.

Just re-tried the Kabuki fight, and while it is true that I seem to do much more damage even without a brawler build and gorilla arms, the opponents are still able to tele-hit me even if I evade backwards and just twist around and hit me if I dodge sideways, and I go down in a matter of 3-4 hits (at level 28, with armor well over 500).
All in all, it's still the same old crap for me.
Screw that questline.

Oh yeah I hated that too, but at least that doesn't really impair the quests: on "Dream On" I had the message that I was losing the van for basically the whole chase, but it didn't fail.
Cheap shots are a different thing, as you can fail the quest (and lose eddies).

I have tried blocking, but I can't see much of a difference lol

Almost ironically that ALL driving related missions in this game are scripted events, where all AI vehicles are going on rails.

Burning Desire (involving the flaming crotch guy - don't buy cheap Mr. Studs, guys; always pick top-shelf goods), Belly of The Beast, Sinnerman and Dream On are all scripted - when doing Belly of The Beast, I had a car explode behind me, only to have it revive right in front of me, making me crash and lose the race.

That is some next-level EA Need for Speed catch-up crap right there!

And I tried having some fun with the scripts in Dream On, by placing my Shion Coyote in front of the van on the last bridge. The van rammed me, and flung my car over the railing. I got briefly stuck inside it when it hit me, so the game logic threw me way higher than actual physics would allow for.

I tried catching up, as I knew where it was going, but the van literally vanished right in front of me when I got close to it again. Mission failed (as far as I'm concerned) - never bothered trying to call Elizabeth afterwards. The van cannot be blocked or stopped.
Parking way ahead and bringing out the sniper or machine gun doesn't work against the van either.

Speaking of which, I really want some more storytelling into the Dream On missions. This ties into the River Ward quest line, and simply having a message from each of the Peralezes at the end, with no word about Mr. Blue Eyes or further ability to investigate the depths of that mystery, leaves me wanting for so much more!

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As for Beat On The Brat missions, without putting points into the Body tree, get a Reflex Tuner (Reflexes) and / or a Microgenerator (Technical Ability). Pain Editor (Cool) and Shock-N-Awe (Cool) also works.

Nanorelays (Reflexes) and Microrotors (Reflexes) are also good augments for a non-Body build in these missions.