You can set a button for a regular ranged attack in addition to Poison Arrow.
If you hold a button, or a D-pad direction, down for a couple seconds, a menu will pop up allowing you to assign a skill or spell to it (I didn't bother hotkeying potions). Keep in mind that hitting the B button to cancel out of a dialog or menu can sometimes trigger the assigned action, so don't set it to something that uses a lot of mana or has a long cooldown time.
Playing a dual wielding warrior, who used to start combat with a bow, but now primarily uses one just for breaking crates and barrels, I currently have my buttons assigned as: A melee attack, B ranged attack, X whirlwind, Y Rush Attack, Left dragon stone (teleport to or within the battle tower), Right dragon morph, Up heal (level 1 came in handy for awhile) and Down summon creature.
Hitting Pause (or the auto-pause at a certain health percentage) and using the menu can be handy for potions or spells you only use occasionally.
I was almost level 7 when I meet the dragon knight, and the opponents during that encounter were enough to bring me up a level. If you are still level 5, there are probably a few things you can go back and finish up in the first area. Regardless, there are goblins to the east and west of where you meet the dragon knight, which would be easier than the skeletons.
A general rule of thumb is if the head dragon slayer (or the dragon knight, after you meet her) tell you to do something, feel free to delay as long as you wish, or can, before doing it. If you are told
not to do something, though, it would be a good idea to make a new save before trying it.
The necromancy creatures are to the west of the lake and then south. If you follow the river to the west and a little south to the end, there are level 11 opponents north of there, while the creatures are a little south. You should be able to avoid the opponents to the north by swimming or coming from a different direction, but I think your current level is still too low.
You can unlearn all your skills after you get the battle tower. You stats can not be redistributed, but you are low enough you can easily adjust your strategy. A dexterity of 15 isn't a bad idea even if you are primarily a warrior.
The various handed skills are for melee weapons.
I don't think anyone has compiled a ranger guide.
Character OptimizationSo: warrior, mage or archer?ranger questionsArcher Stats HelpWelcome to the forum.