If you found a lot of caves or secret areas in the first quest, open those first! All of them are in the same place and many dungeons were moved to the secret rooms from the first quest. Don’t be afraid to look at a guide! The first game is tough and not very player-friendly, if you think it’ll...
They can be unpredictable, so I run, slash, and immediately run away. Other than that, it really depends. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you lose 8 hearts because they knock you into each other. Good luck!