How is the difficulty?

[MADOX-01]

Is this game hard? Do i gotta minmax? Do stats matter more than skill? I wanna play fighter class.

[Big Sloppie]

Play whatever and you can make it work. The only stat that is often advised a ton is vitality. So long as you invest a lot into it you won’t be one-shot or have too much issue.

[Seth Abercromby]

Keeping up with vitality is definitely one of the best way to keep on top of things, but also don't rush into dungeons straight away when you've unlocked them. The 1-6 catacombs can be done super early, but the 6-12 version throws some pretty tough enemies at you if you jump in at level 6. It becomes a lot more consistent to clear at level 8+, but you'll likely only beat the boss at the end after you've chosen your class at level 10. You'll have a very similar experience in the 12-18 catacombs, which you should ideally tackle using the level 14 gear you get from the 6-12 boss.

[Ranreu]

My favorite class! For fighter, the main area of difficulty will be learning the parry timing for every enemy. Luckily, the parry timing and stamina loss is buffed for fighters. I don't have an absolute grasp on the stats, but there are damage ceilings so stats do fall off at *some* point. Also, learning the cyclone skill can help you thin crowds of enemies.

[Faust]

Skill can make up for stat deficiency, but stats still matter a lot. No minmaxing is needed so far, nut there is a good statting convention of "2:1 split between your attack stat and your vitality". After that you can adjust up to preference once you get on your feet. Some bits can be difficult, but can be overcome with some mild grinding.

[CEO of Cunny]

Starts off very easy and then gets progressively harder until it's fairly challenging near the end, HOWEVER, your difficulty will largely depend on your class. Bandit seems to be the weakest atm and it was my first class. Pre-buffs it was painful. They thankfully buffed the bomb trap, however, you're going to have to get really good at dodging or parrying since you're not going to be able to be an effective glass cannon until you get better gear.

Mage is easier, and from what I've heard fighter is the strongest atm.

[Killial]

I'll keep it brief- the game is pretty easy (or at least it is not hard).

You don't need to minmax.
The only advice that's already been given is to level up at least 1 VIT per level, and you'll be fine.
You also don't need to learn how to parry in time actually. Just holding down the block button is enough, as long as you don't go after enemies that are 5 levels or more above you. You don't need block timings. I leveled up a level 25 character without thinking about any parry timings - so I say it's possible.
Or just dodge and move more, attacking with a dash / jump and retreat - this works too.

Just be resonable - play smart, not hard.

[Stirling]

All of this advice is assuming you don't just spend a bit of time grinding out an extra level or two: getting a few level ups and/or superior gear can quickly trivialize fights which would've been challenging otherwise. The hardest boss in the game is level 20 and can be a serious challenge if you're level 18 but completely steamrolled at 22, etc.

[Jet Uppercut]

The level scaling makes any kind of difficulty in the game optional via grinding. If you're more than 2 levels above an enemy they have a huge chance to miss you and take additional damage.

[Light Up The Night]

Fighters specialize in close range, so you will have to learn the parry system. You'll have to learn the parry system no matter what class tho lol
Strength is your main stat and Vitality is your secondary, I recommend a 2/1 ratio Strength/Vitality so you can have health but still finish fights quick.
I recommend keeping a hammer/axe on secondary because later on it excels at group damage due to it's unlockable charge attack. Sword is short range but fast, and Spear right now is popular due to extra range. However, some shield skills are unusable if you don't use a sword or another one-handed weapon. You can respec very easily with cheap shop items so don't worry too much about messing up. And if you like the other weapons, there's items you can use to respec their damage to Strength.

As for stats over skill, skill matters but you can grind ahead of the area level. Keep your gear updated and check the shop since by the time you hit 9-10 you'll get access to Iron gear to boost you into the next areas. After that, it's basically all drops and quest loot rn lol