After numerous playthroughs of Diablo II, and numerous attempts at Titan Quest, I've come to see that Titan Quest is an overall much more difficult game. To me, the difficulty feels uneven because even the monsters at the start of the game can pose a challenge. Apparently, even the satyrs and boards are much stronger than even the Fallen in Diablo II. I feel like I'm not doing enough damage. Weapons with fast attack speed don't deal enough and stronger weapons don't attack fast enough. And some of the enemies deal more damage to me than I to them. Some of the earlier bosses I struggle against such as Nessus.
On previous playthroughs, I used to pick up and sell everything, making frequent trips back to town to pawn off my inventory, but eventually, that got tedious. And like I do in Diablo II, I tend to re-explore previously explored places in new games to get more loot and experience. And even though I'm spending most of my skill points on the masteries, I still feel underpowered much of the time. Even when I successfully took a Conqueror through Immortal Throne years ago I felt like I wasn't doing enough damage and taking too much, frequently drinking healing potions. I find myself asking if I'm doing something wrong with the way I play the game.
Some players use mods, but I don't want to because I'm a purist. I tend to play on normal speed because anything faster than that is too fast for me. I have difficulty making good equipment choices and determining which piece is overall better. Like I do in Diablo II, I focus on trying to improve my character's resistances.
I have looked online at beginner's guides and videos, but they don't seem too helpful for me. So I now turn to the Titan Quest community on how to improve my playstyle.