If you are still having trouble, consider using bombs. They do a decent amount of damage to group of enemies.

You press AND hold down your 'back' key which is S by default. This is with Difficult QTEs off - I don't know if it's the same with on.

I'm 50 myself and suffer from arthritis complicated by MS. I am using a controller and enjoying it so much more than kb & m. Just my $.02. Have fun with the game ^^

If it's the Malena quest cave, you can also abuse the enemy AI. I tested it a few times and it seems the nekkers don't follow you to the back of the cave portion you came from. You don't even have to climb up a level, they just stop at some point. If you employ hit and run tactics, you can go and smack a nekker with your sword and run back to the enemy free zone right after to avoid getting surrounded. They didn't seem to heal. I ended up using this on my first playthrough out of frustration.

On my second playthrough (I'm on vacation), I had a big bunch of traps with me, and I laid them on the ground as I ran around the pillar to flee from the nekker mob (this was a bit trickier because they kept catching up). The explosive traps were a bad idea, because they exploded as soon as I armed them and Geralt got hit., too.

My background also--with a side of WoW raiding. I'm still working on a Witcher save for import, which should give me a chance to experiment with some of the witcher abilities in a less pressured environment, but I really appreciate all the tips folks are sharing. It's also interesting to see that our demographic is not as thinly populated as I would have imagined (63-year-old female here). :)

I turn 65 next month and am enjoying the heck out of gaming. Started on a Magnavox Odyssey with two games, Bowling and Pong. Then graduated to a Commodore 64 in the early 80's. It is amazing how far things have come since the days of 8 bit graphics. Epona mentioned turn based games. I love em ( Neverwinter Nights to name one ), but get frustrated when I have to "Wait my turn" while I am getting hammered on. : ) I do find some games more suited to the console, while others are better suited to the PC due to the control factor. For Instance, I prefer Tomb Raider on a console as I find the movement a bit harder with the mouse on a PC and prefer the joystick. I think I'm cursed with the lack of hand eye coordination as well, at least to some extent.
I used Adzeth's method in there. I quickly found out that they would rarely follow you around the corner going back to the entrance, so used the hit and run method, which works well in crowded situations. Best method for us older patient types, not so for the young and impatient types ( like my nephew ).

Nope. I have been in there several times ( just getting some XP ) and it seems as if they multiply. I have blown up all the nests, so I'll have to check again.

USE QUEN A LOT

We can be old and impatient too. :p

My third playthrough I threw up Quen and ran straight for the middle of 'em all, then dropped the highest damage traps I could at my feet, to see how many I could kill without killing myself in the blast. The smoking piles of loot all centered on you is a thing of beauty! ;p

I swear that after a few times dying (and adjusting my tactics) I was all set to try killing the nekker swarm and there were only 4 of them! I thought they may have been hiding but after running around in there those 4 were the only ones! Sure, the first few times I died and went back in it did look like there were many more but the last time there was only the 4.

I have been avoiding the Kayran myself. I have been down there twice, and didn't last long. Truth is, I wasn't really all the serious about getting into it with that thing anyway. I know it is going to be a challenge and may take several tries. I am retired, so have time, in between the things I have to do around here and Moderating another forum. I usually spend more time gaming in the Winter when it is too cold to do anything outside. I'm glad that somebody thought to start a thread for us older gamers and finding out I am not an anomalie in the gaming world. : )
LOL I think in my case it becomes more of a case of being old and cranky ( out of frustration ? ) then impatient. Haven't messed with the traps all that much, except for the ones I habitually step in. : )

Hey Coastie65, you probably already know this, but use your medallion (the z key) and it will highlight were all the traps are so you don't step on them. I stepped on several myself, before I figured that out.

And hold down SHIFT when approaching them to pick them up, to make your movement more precise so you dont actually blunder into them. Not that traps actually hurt you much in this game.

Another aging gamer here too. My first videogame was the Pong console Atari put out (hockey was the best). My first computer was a Commodore 64, but as I could only change the pixels on the TV with it, I'd have to say my first "real" computer was the Commodore Amiga. I still remember it very fondly, it has great graphics, blew away the Apples and PC's of that time.

I'm still an avid gamer, despite aging reflexes and sight. I'm not a PC newbie, though, far from it, I've been putting together and modding PC's for a long time.

USE QUEN A LOT seems like good advice ;). I'd say, HOLD DOWN THE BUTTON FOR AXIL UNTIL THE SPELL IS OVER, as Axil rocks against groups.

I keep forgetting about that. That thing was automatic in the first game. I'd manage to see a few of them, it is the ones in the under growth I sually step in. They don't appear to cause that much damage.
I went from the Commodore 64 to the Commodore 128 after the motherboard got fried in the 64. I still have the 128 system with a boat load of games packed away. I didn't use spells all that much in the first game. I did use Igni on those plants in the swamp though. That Amiga was top of the line as far as graphics went as i recall and there was nothing that could touch it. I think it was the Amiga that Hollywood was using at the time for Computer Graphics in movies.