I had a mage in my party to enchant my weapons, bows and swords, which made combat easier. The game is a bit hard at the beginning when you venture outside the city. You just have to have the right party and pick away at the nearest enemies to level up. I still think leveling is easiest when you complete quests. There are missions available in the capital at the Inn, Pub, Pawn house. There are some posted in that training camp where you fight the hydra thing. Then you have to keep checking for more quests after you've completed them. So that's my advice. Mage for enchantments, do easy quests, slowly pick away at surrounding enemies. Also, learn and add combat skills at the Inn. They help your combat a lot. If you have a warrior there's an abilitiy that allows you to carry more weight. It's very useful. But I don't think any role can have tha ability.
