I've personally really been enjoying the difficulty, played through the content that is available. When I can see 'red' enemies from a distance I always approach in stealth so I can get a suprise round, when the enemies are neutral but I could see a battle coming I try to scout and position before starting a dialogue. This will make a huge difference in battle. Perhaps this goes against some dnd immersion, I don't know. Feels like something you would do if ran around a hostile environment. If you run in with all your party and are surrounded by archers on rooftops you'll probably die.
I've found spells in general to be really unreliable however, you simply can't spend a turn hoping for those 50-60% spells will hit. Magic Missile is by far the best and as far as I can tell the only damage spell worth casting, other spells that do not have a saving throw such as fog/darkness can be fantastic for disabling ranged enemies. Using potions or eating food as your bonus action is way better than trying to run around with a cleric and actually spending actions to heal companions. If you're using the cleric companion make her melee. If one party member does not do damage then the fight is prolonged requiring more healing to be done. It's usually best to just try and go all in for damage and trying to reduce their numbers asap.
Not sure if this helps anyone, but this is how I've been playing.
