Agreed, LB is completely busted. Having square range as well, it can outrange 7 range enemies on a diagonal (You have 7.07 range when hitting 5 tiles directly diagonal)
Which versions of Ice Yendor (Room 1, 2 or 3) do you find harder? There are tricks with agro range that make room 1 and 2 far easier, but it probably shouldn't be expected for players to figure those out. Room 3 however (with 16 ice giants), is one of the easiest Yendors, it's completely free if you just run down to one corner, and don't agro Yendor.
It is intentional for bows to have lower damage, as they were by far the strongest in RF3. Being able to outrange everything is so powerful. Dex is still considered to be the best attribute by many, SP is just too strong.
Yeah, a way to wield two-handed weapons with a shield would be nice. Also, a bit of a nerf to shield block might be deserved haha.
I completely agree that the game is a blast to play, but there is so much that is broken about the balance xD