Getting past the dragon is easy, push through the tunnel as quickly as you can, spam swift attack to dispatch foes and pop quen at the soonest to help get through with les damage. Do not stop to listen to dialog or try to loot, and keep to the left side, when you get to the end make straight for the gate, here the dragon fire can no longer hit you and you only need dispatch the guards before proceeding.

Frankly, this part is easy, later, taking on multiple foes at once becomes ridiculous, and more of a crap shoot than something that relies on player skill.

I did die a couple times on the dragon part, but I consider this a good thing.

Guys let me give you my experience with this game.
I'm playing on hard and I've gotten the hang of the system now

1. Your block is not infinite, and it only blocks the target you are looking at

You can block at most 2 times before getting tired and your stamina is shared with your magic, so if you block and use a spell, you are burned and must wait before the bar refills. After you buy the Riposte skill on level up, you can block even enemies attacking from your rear, but you can't block infinite enemies for infinite time, this is not Assassins Creed


2. You can't go to a group of enemies and slash away

You can but let's wait for the next point. You must use your head, you must attack the lowered armored targets first, with quick attacks and doge, like attack/dodge (Dodge is double tap in the direction you want to dodge). Try to time your attacks so you chain a good combo. Remember, kite a lot, if not

3. Use your Signs,

To change your spells, press Ctrl to open the radial menu and select other spells, there is this nifty spell that allows you to soak up damage for a small amount of time without being staggered, if you want to attack an heavy armored target in the middle of a group, use that spell (It's called Ygrden I think) and slash away then quickly get out and repeat the process

4. Potions, if you can, use potions

Swallow helps a lot during combat since it keeps your health regen activated.

I think this is all for now. It gets easier from here as you start to level up and get more skills. It all comes with experience. I spent an hour during the first flashback of the Prologue, and I just finished the whole Prologue now. I'm pumped!

This word is so overused.

Try reading the tips we've given in this thread - there are many good ideas here. If you find them difficult to implement (there's lots of it, the magick, the potions, the combat, the movement, the bombs and traps) lower the difficulty and try each one out. Practice until you feel confident enough to get back to normal. You'll be a "hard" player soon, don't you worry!

I promise you. After you've learned how to use the signs properly the game becomes so much easier. I had trouble at first too but that's because the only sign I used was Aard.

Exactly. Once you figure out Geralt isn't quite the dreadnaught he used to be, the combat is not so much difficult as it is asinine and boring. Run around in circles and either take pot shots at random enemies once every few laps or cast signs as your vigor allows. Either way it's mostly just running in circles. Not very exciting and quite disappointing for a Witcher.

Another thing is the ridiculously implemented leashing mechanic that you first encounter with the ballista group. If lured far enough from the ballista, the enemies, reaching their leash distance, suddenly turn around and calmly start walking back towards their initial spot, at which point you can hit them in the back with impunity. Or you can just stand at the edge of their leash distance and watch them alternatively charging at you, yelling something about flowers and then turning back half a foot from you and leisurely walking back.

Later, when you get "ambushed" by three soldiers in a little room (I guess they were very, very quiet) all you need to do is take a step backwards and a little behind the corner, and the ambushers suddenly calm down, turn around, and walk back. Take a peek at the corner and back they come again, yelling. Until you take a step back and they turn again...

I'm playing on hard, died a couple times specifically at those two places.
Then I learned to use the Quen sign before charging in like a monkey.

Quick tips:
1. Invest asap into the parry ability.
2. Block or keep Quen on you at all times if you want to hack and slash wildly.
3. If Quen force field breaks, roll away, Quen again.
4. If you need to gain time, drop a Yrden on the ground and pull the enemies into it.
5. Sammun (the bomb) is awesome to stun a group of enemies, so you can quickly finish one or two of them.

The area with the dragon breath, don't charge ahead. Stick with the friendlies. Keep Quen on you at all times.

The spot with the bunch of guards, keep Quen on you at all times, throw a bomb to land a cheap finisher.

I don't think Witcher 2 is hard, at all. But the lethality is high in both directions, which makes for a faster paced, more interesting game at the expense of less mistakes being affordable.

is that why im hammering away on the right trigger (block) and geralt simply refuses to lift his sword in defense most of the time?

which one of the on screen indicators is the stamina/mana bar? i see health and an eye with 2xyellow blocks next to it, but pretty much nothing else of note.

Does anyone knows how to survive dragon attack on the bridge, when Vernon falls and Geralt and King need to run? I'm pressing S key, and there was a message to press right mouse when something flashes on the screen, but I see nothing flashing, and clicking the right mouse does not help... That damn dragon always gets me after the first fire breath...

Those boxes. Watch as they empty as you cast/block. The "eyes" are a counter, like the numbers on the dice they're using.
The game should show you a "rightclick" icon when the dragon breathes and you're on one of the wider parts of the bridge, to hide.

Yes
It's those two yellow blocks

I was getting frustrated as hell on why Geralt simply refused to block most of the time, then I noticed those blocks emptied each time I used magic or blocked.
It all got easier from there on

I do hide... but he gets me when I start running again... as If I'm not fast enough to get to second wider part... may be up to my computer...

lol, Demons Souls is a lot more responsive. I found Demons Souls to be a lot easier than Witcher 2, but we'll see as I progress through the game.

You don't hide in the first wide part. I tried that the first time and he gets you. Keep running and the button to push should pop up on your screen past that. It'll happen again just before another wide part. And when you reach the gate it will come up, but this time you need to be superquick (I missed it a few times, it literally flashed up).

This part confused me too, not keen on QTE (quick time events). I thought I could hide manually and it doesn't work. Keep running straight until it tells you to push something.