Two for the price of one!

First up is Swindler's Den. It doesn't get marked as clear. I've googled and apparently it won't clear for people no matter how they go about things, whether they already investigated before getting a quest to go there, or the other way round. I visited it for the first time yesterday as part of the 'in my time of need' quest, killed everyone, returned to NPC. But still not cleared.

Another problem I encountered on my way to Swindler's Den is that I've realised ever since patch 1.3 I've been getting my level 18 butt kicked. Dragons are not much of a problem because they fly around, but I've been getting murdered by mobs of three people minimum.

I ran into 3 bandits and it took me ten tries to kill them. I had to chug down lots of health potions which I find annoying because it really breaks the action down. So I'm wondering if my character (who to be honest hasn't explored as much of the world as most of you) simply needs better gear or if maybe there's an armor bug introduced with this patch? Anyone else been having problems lately?

Though I have to say it doesn't help that there's a delay in my character bringing out his sword, or switching weapons, or blocking. Not framerate problem, but real delay between the controller and what's occurring on screen.

Just adding that I've discovered that I've also got two Redguard warriors now hanging around the entrance to Whiterun so that quest is bugged all over. Luckily it's completed on my journal, just have to live with two dudes in my way at Whiterun and a non-cleared dungeon.

That is normal. NPC's comment on them. They've got curved swords, curved swords!

With my fighter character I had the impression levels 20-30 were the hardest, especially bandits with war hammers were annoying, sometimes killing me in 2 hits while I waited for my weapon change to complete.

Pretty weird if it's normal! What purpose do they serve blocking the gate? Shouldn't they have been killed by me when I went to their base? Get rid of them! Or make this supposed mythical 'radiant AI' use them to give me quests or something.

I don't think they serve any purpose. Maybe they stayed back to make sure the red guard woman doesn't beat it. Or trying to figure out what happened to the rest of their men, he he.
With normal I meant I think it's part of the game. When I watched other playing on youtube they hang there, too. I think they're just there because of the punch line about the curved swords.