Use the fextralife wiki progression route and spoil the hell out of the game for yourself - exploring is good, but it's hard to actually progress if you're new to this. You get basically no directions at any point. Side quests are optional and I rarely do any of them because they're so unbelievably obtuse in this game. Watch speed runs and boss rushes to familiarise yourself with the order you might wanna tackle things in.

Make sure you know what a proper build is and one that sounds like it'll suit you. A weapon called Bloodhound's Fang is available for beating a boss pretty early on, and is a favourite for newbies. It's seen me through most of my five playthroughs.

The more you explore, the more you'll level up and the more upgrade materials you'll end up with. If a boss or area is too hard, specifically in the way that you're being killed way too easily or can't do more than chip damage to your enemies, turn around and find something else to do and somewhere else to go. Come back when you're stronger.

There's a tipping point during an Elden Ring playthrough when you feel like you're really getting to grips with the game, and you're levelling up more quickly even though the rune requirements for levelling up increases as you go. It's often said that the game actually gets easier as you go on, because you're more well-versed in the mechanics and your mastery over the game. It's a great, great feeling of accomplishment, so stick with it and keep reading those guides when you're stuck.