Hi there...

im stucked in the tut-levels in the monastry right now, where i have to fight 5 opponents at one time! i can manage to fight 2 at the same time, but more and Geralt dies throughout the whole beginning of this game :(
maybe im too stupid, playing on NORMAL difficulty, but i didnt have had those problems with witcher 1, so i assume s.th. different here!
im really(!!!) angry atm and dunno how to solve it! trying to block the attacks, not a chance, using YRDEN Sign just gives me a second to run away, to regenerate energy, QUEN doesnt give me enough time to kill off at least one of the men, cause the others knock me back permanently!
so, screw this or is there s.th. im totally missing?

If it's the last bit with the king outside the gates, then notice the flight of stairs on one side. There only 1 or 2 can gang up on you at once. Use Yrden to trap one, hammer the other, then rinse and repeat. Try to get the light armored guys first, then the two with the shields, and the knight last. Use the openings your parry creates (parry with e). I personally dispatched the two weaklings with quen and dancing around, then used the steps to cut down their numbers.

Do u use roll to dodge the attacks, it one of the most importen part of the combat.

thank you, im trying this in a minute!

I was just about to suggest the same thing hunvagy said. those steps are there for a reason. Quen and Yrden are your friends here.

also just be patient, the game's tutorial is WAY tough, they could probably stand to weaken those guys a bit, considering it IS the prologue/tutorial. But it gets easier later on once you've got better gear and upgraded your skills. I just polished off an entire encampment of guys, so yeah, does get easier. stick with it.

I'm sure you'll get on just fine with that advice, but this is how I did it (took me a couple of goes on Normal; still getting the hang of combat in Act 1, but definitely getting better at it):

Drink a Swallow potion just before you head into the room with the guards. You could also apply some oil to your blade if you have the ingredients.

Head into the room and try to take out the weakest opponents (i.e. no shield) first.
I knocked one down with Aard and then concentrated on another. Go in for a couple of blows and then roll out. The guys with the shields run quite slow so you can outpace them and get some distance. Then turn around and try to pick off another guard.

I kept doing this until I was down to just one guy with a tower shield (if I remember correctly).

Good luck my friend. You'll get there.
And, if you are finding it too difficult, then there's no shame in turning the difficulty down to Easy (you can do this in options, you don't have to start a new game).

Ya, I just acquired the riposte skill. Whoa, awesome.

Having just re-finished The Witcher 1 and started The Witcher 2 on Hard, I have some issues aswell.

The combat feels very weird, but at the same time seems more challanging. (By the end in The Witcher 1 all I had to do was spam Igni and everything would fall at my feet, while at the start I would Ard-stun and impale them on my sword.) On the other hand maybe I just suck at this whole actiony-combat thing.

So far I've found the best way to go about fighting is to use Quen and do hit and run attacks while my shield is up; otherwise I always get surrounded and end up getting back-stabbed to death.

I try to go for the enemy that sticks out of the group the most and I back up if they surround me.

I find parrying to be rather difficult, mostly because I'm used to the Gothic controls and tend to use the Right Mouse button for parrying (It's sort of a reflex - I wish I could remap controls). So far I can't really see any practical use for that heavy attack, at least not in group fighting.

Watch out for Hunvagy, he's a weirdo. Really. Warped. Seriously bent. I guess they'll let anybody on these forums.

OT, good advice so far. Yrden is your friend for groups, and so are bombs. Probably the #1 rule is, don't get surrounded, ever. Or at least until you get group attacks from the combat tree. Dodge, use Yrden, Aard, environmental objects, everything you can, but don't get surrounded. I usually prefer to wittle down their numbers by going after the weaker ones first, then the tougher ones with armor and shields.

thank you guys, finally managed to get thru it :)

Nice work!

quen, yrden and space bar should be your best friends in this game.