Is the game really intended to be this much of a "try-it-until-you-get-it" luck-based RPG?
I mean, the game is amazing, has amazing dialogues, atmosphere and all that, but damn... the combat is surely a downer. Feels like theres no "real" tactic to the game other than just keep on (mindlessly) trying until the battle is won. And yes, I've done all quests, sidequests, with a "non-meme" party on the balanced difficulty and I'm -still- having lots of "please don't use (x) skill or else my whole run is done for" moments.
Hmm I don't agree.. I felt like that before I completely understood how combat works but now I actually wish there were more "random" encounters because I'm really enjoying combat: when you manage to master the combat system and the tactics involved the game really shines.
What I suggest is this: if you fail a fight don't just do whatever you did the first time: approach it from a different perspective, analyze the battlefield and your strengths/weaknesses, and those of your enemy. Also, being rested and having all the tools of your characters at your disposal is extremely important for the more challenging encounters.
Also, advantage is very important for a lot of classes: my avatar is a rogue and this made me appreciate how important the concept of advantage is: without it a rogue can't use sneak attacks and this taught me how to exploit the concept is. This is also why I love characters like Karlach (barbarian) and that attack that gives you advantage.