Before very long, you meet the aforementioned Lord Markham and enter his scavenger hunt. Soon after that, or even before meeting him if you wander outside town first, you find yourself entering your first combat. Through the course of the game, you encounter a number of interesting monsters and opponents. He continues by pointing out some even more significant changes to the new game's bestiary. I guess what's most interesting is not so much the different kinds of monsters in the game, but their new abilities.
Monsters can fight one another now, and they can cast beneficial spells on themselves.
Monsters can also summon other monsters, heal themselves, and perform other player character style abilities. Based largely on player feedback, the new game will incorporate other combat-related changes as well. Probably the most significant is movement. You can move in turn-based combat the same way monsters move. Combat is also quite a bit less repetitive.