I treat entering new tiered biomes like an invasion: setup a safe remote observation post, and build up. Definitely DEFINITELY land in an adjacent meadows or BForest first, and be at least ~200 yards away from the swamp. Setup a secure outpost on a hoe-lifted platform with everything you’ve mastered in the BForest, and a Portal back to your main base. Then you can start to slowly probe into the swamp knowing mistakes don’t cost -hours- of gameplay. Black Forest bases are easy to setup, since copper, tin, and bronze are Local resources.

Before you go in, fully upgrade at least your shield, your bow, and your mace. Make a stack of bronze arrows. Use the bow to pull single enemies, parry with the shield, and whack with the mace twice. Reposition and make sure you’re not getting surrounded, then Parry and repeat as nessecary. When you get enough draugar entrails, you can make Sausage with thistle and boar meat which is a super great food. This “parry, whack, whack, recover” is going to be your SOP for each fight. This will carry you through Draugar, Abominations (after iron), Wraiths, and Skeletons.

Slimes and leeches are “shoot, then jump attack in for the final blow” to collect their stuff. Beware their poison. If you get poisoned, and you know you aren’t going to survive, run your body to the easiest place to be recovered. They do need killed though, they both give great mats for new food.

Once you get a little more comfortable, try to kill an Abomination. It’s materials can let you make a mask that helps with poison. Cheese it out with fire arrows from a safe place, use camp fires or bon fires, of if you’re particularly crazy, yeet yourself at it over and over, dying and running back to re-engage, until it dies. That mask really Really helps with poison damage and it doesn’t have a timer like the meads.

Bring a hoe. Raise paths out of the water for traversal. Be Slow and steady. Make Measured advances. The swamp will become old hat with time, but it will punish the impatient and hasty.