Garran: You're in good company: the first trip along Arnika road is usually the most difficult section of the game.
#1: Don't use the Light spell. Yes, it makes things easier to see, but it also turns your party into a monster-magnet because they can see the big glowing ball too.
#2: Take your time and wait for creatures to move around and/or move out of the way. You might be able to pass by some of them and even if not, you'll have a much easier time of it if you can take on enemy groups one at a time. All of those enemies will wander along the road and/or side paths until they spot you. There are a few places where you might be able to let an enemy group wander past without spotting you.
#3: If you get into a fight, get into a corner. There's usually one somewhere very close by, and wedging yourself into a small corner (facing outward) means that melee enemies can only get at you one or two at a time, which greatly reduces incoming damage. It also has the benefit of making it easier to nail them with cone AoEs.
#4: Retreat to the monastery and rest if you're getting down on health/mana/stamina.
#5: If you trigger a big battle, run for it rather than heading into a corner. You may at least manage to leave some of the groups behind and if not you'll escape eventually - if all else fails, back into the monastery.
#6: It won't be obvious where it is when you're first playing, but if you can flee across the southern boundary point to the Trynton section of the road, you'll leave the enemies on the Monastery section behind. (Enemies don't zone with you.)
#7: While it might be too late for this, it's generally advised not to level up beyond about 5th before traveling the road, since the monster spawns become much more difficult and you won't have anything more than starter gear. Party composition also makes a difference here, since some characters might provide tricks to make the trip much easier.
Once you're through this section and have had a chance to visit and stock up in Arnika, things will become MUCH easier.
I just ran and ran, and I finally made it to the town, lol :D.
Took a while though since I was done with my running turn in just a sec but the 5 groups of monsters took their sweet time even on highest combat speed. I hope I'll get some cool gear there.
I bought a boxed copy of the game back in the day but I never made it further than the jungle tree village or some such. Now I'm playing it again but the road to Arnika soon reminded me why I didn't make it very far in the game :D.
