Get somebody on the frontlines with club, flail, or morning star proficiency so they can debuff defenses. -25 to the defense of your choice is nothing to sneeze at.
Is there an ETA on a fix for the issue some of us having where the game freezes on entering the Engwithan dig site sub-level? I've seen it mentioned here, on reddit, and on the steam forum, and hitting a hard progression block less than two hours in is a real bummer.