So... I'm playing through TW1 again and just completed Chapter I.
I had no problems with defeating the Beast. On normal difficulty the whole fight didn't last more than 30 seconds. Didn't use Aard stun. Just Specter Oil [recipe bought from Abigail] and the three red meteorite steel sword. I was level 9, no grinding. Didn't even have to use my Nigredo Swallow, though I imagine on harder difficulty it would have been mandatory.
Anyway, I'm enjoying it immensely. I love this universe and its atmosphere... and that damn music. So beautiful.
Also enjoying a new play through for eventual import into W3. Modded, of course, with textures and a bunch of Cory's convenience adjustments (scroll of Many Things).
Guess I never bothered looking past "set them all to max and go!" on the advanced video settings before, but this time I noticed some things. For one, Shadows only render properly, on my DVD version of the EE, if Shadow quality is set to Medium. Also finally realized having Lighting set to high was causing all the eye-watering blur, so I set it to low and wow! I can see clearly! Also using SweetFX for the extra punch, and game is beautiful. Music always carries me along, and I love the slavic lore behind the monsters. A refreshing break from Bioware and other NA developers. I've played this game more than DAO, and always keep it installed.