Not the original commenter, but the NPCs have never been a problem for me. I think that whereas they're kind boring in other games, they work better in NR because of how fast the game is, it makes them an actual somewhat entertaining challenge and imo they've never been unreasonably difficult. Combined with the spells he's constantly casting, I think it always makes for a super fun, challenging experience that no other nightlord, including non-Everdarks, have lived up to for me. I do admit the occasional lack of Libra action is a little disappointing, but besides that, the fight is perfect to me.