1. You might be maxing out on GPU memory or something like that. Could try lowering some of the settings or seeing if turning off Texture Streaming changes anything.
2. There is something there, you just aren't far enough in the game yet. :)
3. Stealth is working as intended. Maybe you made some noise that attracted them to your location. Or they're searching around the area where they last saw you. Depending on the difficulty stealth will be easier or harder to get away with. You can always run, climb, or fight if you're spotted though. In regards to enemies shirking off damage - it's based on a couple factors. They all can take a certain amount of damage before being staggered, but that damage is modified by your weapon's Heft. Upgrading weapons makes this easier, of course. Perfect blocks (right as their attacks are about to land) also stagger enemies.

Other people have mentioned experiencing a difficult start, but all of them have also said that eventually things clicked and everything started to flow nicely. Just takes some time to figure it all out.

Thank you for the quick answer, knowing that a rough start is a universal experience does help a bit. I hadn't noticed weapons had detailed stats like that--I'll look at the hammer and nailgun closer next time I'm at the safe room. And maybe practice those parries, that sounds useful.

Originally posted by Angel, A Soft Bun:

Thank you for the quick answer, knowing that a rough start is a universal experience does help a bit. I hadn't noticed weapons had detailed stats like that--I'll look at the hammer and nailgun closer next time I'm at the safe room. And maybe practice those parries, that sounds useful.

you need to "inspect" a weapon to view its stats. All weapons can be upgraded, even the first hammer, with the weapon upgrade kits. It's a good idea to pump upgrades into your favorite weapon, as the upgraded stats are universal (meaning if you upgraded your hammer, ALL hammers will have the upgraded stat) and it carries over into new game plus. There is also a special item later on you can get after completing a safe combination puzzle in a tall location - it will buff your weapon for that play-through, though won't carry over.

Is the nailgun, like... worth upgrading? Its ammo is really common, but it doesn't hit very hard compared to the handgun and the baseball bat, so I'm hesitant to sink resources into it.

(Then again I've only just recently spawned enemies other than the invincible flyswarm brutes, and I have yet to test the new ones' uh, mortality.)

All of the weapons are good with a handful of upgrades. The nailgun is weak at the start, but as you said ammo is much easier to come by. Its fire rate picks up a lot after a few levels, making it quite good. Each weapon has pros and cons though.

Originally posted by Angel, A Soft Bun:

Is the nailgun, like... worth upgrading? Its ammo is really common, but it doesn't hit very hard compared to the handgun and the baseball bat, so I'm hesitant to sink resources into it.

(Then again I've only just recently spawned enemies other than the invincible flyswarm brutes, and I have yet to test the new ones' uh, mortality.)

The nail gun is an Uzi machinegun in this game. At max level it can mow down an elite imp in a one second continuous burst fire. You might need to do a few playthroughs on normal and farm/craft weapon upgrades to get it to max level. So i wouldn't recommend upgrading that unless that's what you really want as your main weapon.

You can still just stick to melee weapons (thus no ammo) whole game. A YouTuber, 2headed hero recommended the spiked bat (baseball bat combined with nail). On normal, a max damage bat can down the immortal enemy and elite imp in 2 hits, and down everything else in 1 hit.

I actually like ammo management. I even prefer SMGs, so I might stick with the nailgun for a bit. Having a nailbat on hand is probably a good idea, too.