What's wrong with Zarokh?

Since the last patch, I've had a problem where, every time I start a boss fight, the screen freezes, then the game pauses, and then the screen goes black. I can hear the game continuing to run in the background. Then, after about two minutes, when the black screen disappears, I'm lying dead on the ground.

Generally speaking, why is it so incredibly difficult as a melee fighter?

(Yes, I have 75% honor resistance and go in with 10k honor, but it still happens regularly that I instantly lose all my honor.)

Furthermore, I'm wondering why I have to complete the entire trial every time, even though I've already finished rooms 1-3.

What's the point of these last two points if it's so difficult that you can only complete it with high-end gear and a high level?

This also affects builds based on blocking or parrying.