IMHO
In Eviora's post of 1/19, she stated "-Does my character know what the demons are capable of doing? That greatly influences her reactions to them.
-How intelligent is the demon? In my writing, they vary. More intelligent ones use complex strategies, while less intelligent ones off fight more instinctually.
-How does the demon see the world? I guess this goes without saying, but fantasy creatures are characters in their own rights, with thought patterns of their own. Some value different things than others do; for example, I have one demon who doesn't mind pain at all, and will put itself at risk on a whim."
I think this is incredibly valuable advice. The characters and the circumstances should dictate the battle. For instance, in Ryk Spoor's Grand Central Arena series, the aliens doing combat duels are functionally risk-averse due to the possible unintended consequences and unknown political pressures surrounding the battles (duels). Therefore, they do not fight the same way they would in a more 'natural' setting.
Motivation plays a huge role in battle, any battle, and each character involved has their own individual motivation. Is the character battling for its life? Or are they battling for their species survival? Do they have moral values, or are they just hungry?
In nature, predators hunt and can be incredibly violent to satisfy their hunger, but they will ALWAYS put self-preservation first so they can survive to hunt another day. An alien hive species intent on galaxy domination may ignore morals or self-preservation and just attack, attack, attack, ala Aliens. But, in the end, it is YOUR story. Write it your way.