I hope this isn't indicative of how hard this is going to be..

[pfworks]

I'm on try 10 of beating the first big guy in hogsmeade when you go buy your stuff... I hope all combat is't like this, I'm not even sure I can beat this guy.

[Stan]

Just keep your distance and dodge out of the way when you see him coming towards you.

Remember, you only have range attacks.

[Furry Chipmunk]

You can beat this guy. Be patient.

[Jinnie]

I thought the same. But with dodge out when ever he running to you and then with this special agic attack (on controller its "RB) you have a chance.

[Mr. Bufferlow]

Try Easy mode if you are frustrated. You can still die a lot if you try to do a level 30 boss fight when you are at level 10, but generally it is hard to die.

Wish the broom racing and summoner's court were also scaled down. Finally figured out summoner's court but still struggling with the final broom challenge. Even got the mod so you can use your mouse for up and down but the perspective still throws me and I miss the ring when I think I am lined up.

[Furry Chipmunk]

The final broom challenge is a nightmare.

[patrick68794]

If you're not already on the lowest difficulty then change to that. If you're struggling this much with the troll in Hogsmeade then you're most likely not going to be able to finish the game on the difficulty you have it set to currently, the game does get a lot harder.

[emitfudd]

I find games like this with so many combinations of button presses have a huge learning curve. Hold down right trigger, try to remember which spell is associated with a particular d pad button, Y to block, B to dodge, etc. It reminds me of the combat controls in AC Odyssey. I finally got the hang of that but it took a long time. I am constantly hitting the wrong button combo during combat. So far for me the hardest part has been the duels with other students. Somehow I beat the troll you mentioned the first time.

[Child Soldier #191292]

cast lumos lol

[SimranZenov]

Watch for symbols above your head. You get a warning before you get attacked that gives you time to react. (on easy mode, this warning puts things in slow-motion giving even more time to react)

[dtt.scanner]

You can beat him. Dodge instead of protego, unless your reflexes are really good. Yellow aura means protego will block. Red aura around your head means its attack will break the shield, so you need to dodge. I just dodge for everything. If you use Ancient Magic you can defeat him pretty easily, and you can use the Ancient Magic Throw to do a lot of damage without burning a bar of your Ancient Magic. There should be lots to throw in the market square. You can also use Ancient Magic directly to peel off a large amount of HP. Carry some wiggenweld potions. They are cheap and fast to make. Buy a half dozen if you can't make it yet. Use them when needed. You will encounter many trolls throughout the game. There are many foes that you will fight using the same tactics. Good to learn how to fight them.

The dodge/hit, dodge/hit tactic works well when fighting groups (and bosses like trolls). Spend a spell when it is charged up, and use Traits to maximize damage. Have a spell of each type in your tray, so that you can break shields of different colors. Don't be so focused on hitting or getting the combo that you don't dodge in time. You will always win the battle of attrition if you keep your head and whittle them down.

Also when you unlock talents (for me it was around level 16, but I think it is tied to the main story) you will be able to put points into Talents that REALLY make you stronger. Also the Edurus potion will make you invulnerable for 15 seconds with the talent perk. That's usually enough time to put half of a strong group into the ground.

Note: even if you are dodging straight into them, it still will work, if you timed it right. I took out a pensieve guardian just dodging and using spells (most of the time stuck rolling at his feet), before I figured out the Ancient Magic. That was a long fight, and used up probably 10 wiggenweld potions from the "missed" dodges. There is also a talent that gives you a better dodge, for avoiding area of effect hits.

[Alshain]

Your abilities in this game are tied to your field guide challenges. Unlike traditional RPGs, you don't level up just by defeating enemies. Though defeating enemies can level you up, it's only because of combat challenges you are completing (once you complete those challenges, defeating enemies will no longer level you up). So, if you make an effort to complete challenges from the 5 categories, the game becomes almost too easy. If you power through the main quest line only, it might be more difficult.

If you absolutely can't defeat him, try to load an earlier save and complete some challenges before the attempt. You can level quite a bit just from hunting pages. I don't reccomend grinding enemies until the end of the game as you will complete or come close to completing most of those naturally as you progress. You'd just be wasting your time, unless you just love to grind.

[Sciophyte]

Look at it this way: if when you do finally beat that first troll, you'll be ready for pretty much anything the game is going to throw at you, because you'll only get more and better spells after that.

[dtt.scanner]

I guess the point I was making is that yes, it does get easier, because your tactics and spells get better. As various people pointed out: if you don't rush the main quest and take time to level up, even hard will become easy. The third trial where you face off with several waves of trolls and a half dozen minions was not as difficult as that first fight with a troll in Hogsmeade. The armored statues and pensieve guardians are not a huge threat either if you level up and hone your tactics... but can be scary the first time you fight them.