Combat in B&BB - tips?

[Hayashi.226]

First time I'm trying this difficulty level, it's a world away from S&S. It's embarrassing getting killed by a pack of wild dogs or nekkers lol.
I'm getting the hang of 1-on-1 combat and I'm usually able to defeat opponents 4-5 levels higher than me (so far) if I'm careful and patient. Parry-hit-hit-parry or wait for the enemy to commit to an attack than dodge to the side and attack is my usual go-to combat tactic.
What I'm facing some difficulty in is dealing with a swarm of enemies like drowners and wolves. I inevitably get surrounded and that's usually fatal. Obviously one would say try to peel off the enemies one by one but that is not always possible.
What are some of the tactics and strategies I could use to get the enemies to come to in 1's or 2's, and what are some of the recommended crowd control tactics, or how else can I deal with multiple foes?
This is a new game (not NG+) & Geralt is about to reach lv5 and is just into Velen, looking for Keira Metz and the Baron.
Thanks.

 

[Draconifors]

Well, I play on DM but anything valid there is valid on B&BB as well.

Wolves and nekkers you can block until the end of time, so use that to your advantage. Counterattacks are a superb way to deal with them: hold block and counterattack whenever you get a chance (when one of them lunges at you, for example). You can block them even if they're surrounding you, though that isn't exactly a good situation to be in, naturally.

Drowners are trickier: you can block and counter their swipe attacks, but not the lunge attack where they jump at you. Trying to block the latter will stun Geralt, and may result in even death if there are several drowners attacking.
Counterattack is again an excellent way to deal with them, but you need to make sure to dodge the lunge attacks. I usually spam the Alt dodge and only roll when I need distance.

Aard is a great tool even if you have none of its skills unlocked, and once you get Northern Wind that is another great tool. Oh, and Dancing Star is great as long as you don't set yourself on fire.
If you decided to pick up Delusion, its level 3 version is really good too since it stops the enemy while you cast the Sign. Even in groups it can give you a small edge.

There's a YouTuber who has amazing videos on how to deal with different types of monsters. I learned a ton from them despite already having played the game more than a lot.
I'll link the relevant ones below:
Dogs and wolves (+ more)
Nekkers (and much more)
Drowners (and more)