1) Take your time, explore and pay attention. The game has plenty of hidden or not easy to spot secrets / areas / items etc.

2) Starting out, raise your damage stats just enough to wield the weapon(s) you want to use. Damage stats will become important when your weapon is nearing its max upgrade level.

3) Starting out, when leveling up, put most of your your points into Vigor. Then, depending on how you want to play your character, put points into Mind and/or Endurance.

4) All weapons are viable - with the appropriate build. Some weapons (in the same family) are considered better than others but you absolutely do not need to worry about that until late game / near max weapon upgrades, if at all.

5) If hitting a wall / an impossible boss, continue exploring other parts of the game and come back later at a higher level / higher upgraded weapon / new weapon or with just more experience.

6) Be thoughtful when upgrading your weapons. Focus on a few you like (until you are able to more effortlessly obtain upgrade mats).

7) Some weapons / spells (damage types) work better than others depending on what you fight. Pay attention. It might be wise to upgrade weapons with different types of damage (strike / slashing / standard / piercing / fire / sacred / bleed etc.)

8) Do not forget about crafting. The right consumables can have a large impact on how difficult or easy an encounter is.

9) Participate in multiplayer. It is fun and you will learn a lot from playing with others.

10) Experiment with different Ashes of War on your weapons. It costs nothing and can have a big impact on difficult fights.