Usually, playing a fighter is just not my style. Hack, slash, more hack, more slash, and someone dies. Well, this is not the case with the fighter here, as I was happy to find out yesterday.
Yes, it does include a lot of h&s. Aside of that, you also have crowd control abilities. On these first levels these are abilities that can stun or knockback. Both of these can be very handy if you find yourself cornered and attacked by several monsters at once. (Ever seen four or more 'h' monsters speeding up and running towards you, when you are standing in the middle of a huge room? It is frightening.)

My choice of skills included the following (and I try to keep spoilers low here):
Shield pummel: Can stun the enemy and offers decent damage.
Repulse: Knocks back and dazes your attackers (the ones that stand next to you). It won't work if someone or something is behind the monster though, so the usage is somewhat limited.
Rush: Very useful for ranged attackers (archers and mages both), partly because you move there in an instant, but the daze effect is also very handy.
Riposte: Attacking enemies for free is always a good idea. Especially when you are surrounded.
Overpower: An effective attack with an additional chance of knockback. Very useful.