In OOO, I believe the monsters are still levelled to a certain extent and I'm sure at least the first levels of Vilverin only have bandits. The ones you really need to watch out for are the spectral wolves, warriors, reavers etc. as they can be extremely nasty.
Yes you will on occasion find yourself running for your life while being chased down a hill by a pack of ogres but that's only realistic, right? What's more, the tougher the beasties, the better the rewards, so you will be encouraged to take risks against tougher opponents and use more potions/charges/welkynd stones.