Yup, the beast fight is the worst set up in the game in so far as, there is really no warning its coming, then it saves then goes into it so you can't prepare for it at all. Nor is there much guidance of where to go leveling wise to that point, a few points in different skills makes a world of difference that early in the game.
I think earlier on there was also a bug that meant it could be nigh on impossible. First play through I literally could not beat it, I'd get killed almost instantly almost every time, though I can't remember why, I grabbed a trainer, went invincible, even then I was constantly hit backwards and interrupted and it took a while but didn't die. THen deleted the trainer, far too tempting to cheat every time it gets hard.
The second play through basically a year+ later, the fight was less buggy, less difficult and better leveling choices meant it was basically a breeze.
To be honest the first time around I probably could have done it but, meh, it was all that talking every damned time, I just couldn't be bothered.
That was one of those points where in another game it would be the first of many awful fights that kills the game, thankfully that is the worst and pretty much only fight that is so painstakingly horrific. The game to that point is also kinda, crap, from that fight onwards the game is pretty much increasingly brilliant though.
It's a shame the intro and much of the game to that point is bad. Again the first time I tried it on release I didn't get past that point, it felt like an awful game. When I finally got through that bit to the "good" part of the game, honestly its almost like playing a different game.