Middle Earth: Shadow of War got it right with one of its later updates. They added a final difficulty that increases enemy aggression, attack power, and perception. It also increased player attack power. As long as you're not fighting a massively overleveled enemy, fights are hard, quick, and fairly bullshit free.

Nah, XML is just a slightly older fad. Let's go back to S Expressions. They've been in use for over 60 years and have significantly better readability.