You have to dodge or use a shield. I would say the combat is similar to Dark Souls. If you just stand there; you'll die. You can set traps, buff your team. All sorts of stuff to enhance the fight. I've lost track of the monsters a few times, because they'll retreat.How were the monster battles? From watching videos they don't seem good. They look like you just go all out on a dumb monster..no dynamism, intelligence or even varity between one fight and another.
It also sounds like the hunt becomes trivial thanks to high level flies that basically take you straight to the target.
Also, everyone had a choice of pre-set armor and over a dozen of weapons. Starting from scratch, you'll have to craft your equipment and weapons from the hunts you go on. So there's a decent progression that's huge in the game.
This was a beta, so not sure how helpful the scout flies will be. Not sure if some creatures are easier to hunt than others. From what I heard, in other MH games, a fight can last up to 40 minutes. I'm new to this game, so can't speak from experience.
I liked what I played.