Yeah you're right. Right before I entered Meridian I was thinking the game was pretty smooth going, then a storm bird was the first enemy I encountered and I swear it took me a good 10 minutes to kill it...Used up all my supplies too.Thats why I actively avoid stormbirds at all cost. They just take up too many resources to down even with great gear.
I feel like I hit a glitch with the ancient vessel collectables. I have a whole set of 4, but for some reason when I go to trade them with a merchant it says I have them all but the little x1 is in red meaning it's not in my inventory. I don't believe you can sell them or drop them so I'm not sure what happened.