To be honest, I have now done the area around Cyseal 2-3 times (almost) only with the starting skills of the characters (hard mode). Yes, fights get very tough but it is what I like.
I think I'm less concerned about how difficult it is and more concerned with how fun it is (or rather, isn't) to find yourself limited to three options beyond a basic attack, particularly for that length of time. I worry that when a player's options are so limited they start to fall into very predictable patterns with their skill executions.