Yes, I also don't like it to swap my difficulty all the time playing a RPG !
Almost always when I start a brand new game I never played before I start on the most easy difficulty and play a few levels ... after that I first try a level higher in difficulty to experience if it is still fun to play ... not too easy or too difficult ... but if I'm not sure, I play further on without changing the difficulty!
I never played a "pure class" (warrior/ranger/mage/priest/ ...)type, but always just take the skills I like most from each class ...
I like the melee combat, but most of the time I'm too slow to survive the melee battles with only warrior skills. So I invest in skills to make faster work of melee fighters (for example using Firewall, Stun Arrows, Explosive Arrows, Curse, Blind or Fear or Summon Ghost (he can heal me and use Fireball). So I've always a Bow with me, always, from the start of the game to the end of the game.
If you wish to be a stronger hero, try this :
search always for the best weapons (melee or ranged) that doing "Magical Damage" (and try to find the highest Enchantment "Increased Magical Damage" via buying a Formula for it or via first Disenchant a weapon by an enchanter .
PLUS :
invest your statpoints mostly in Intelligence (and Vitality also at the beginning to survive longer).
Intelligence have 3 pro's (only speaking of "Damage"!):
1) it makes your magical melee weapon stronger
2) it makes your magical ranged weapon stronger
3) it makes all your magical spells stronger !
With only Strength your ranged damage remains the same and the same with Dexerity that only strengthen your ranged damage values, speaking off the "Damage" only here,
because putting points in Strength is also good for your HP regeneration and your Melee Armour Rating (protection/resistance).
Intelligence increased also your Mana regeneration.
But a bow is also good to pull 1 enemy out of a group of enemies and kill them one by one if you can't survive the whole group!

Good Luck when giving this great game a third try
