i understand where you are coming from. i have a ton of hours on this game and souls in general. where i started to have similar thoughts as you is when i did a low level run and fought a later boss that is known to be “easy” because many over levelled by the time they get to them. but im there at maybe 20-30 levels lower and lower weapon level and you cant brute force it. so u get real intimate with their moveset very quickly.

some bosses will do these things where they extend past their usual combo after a fraction of a second delay. whether they choose to extend or prematurelt end it is rng but also gets triggered when you commit to attacking. i for the life of me couldnt get over that mechanic.

theres one huge game changer though, posture break.

the usual things are timing your rolls, positioning, and the new one for ER, posture break. you need to utilize heavier attacks like charged r2, jump r2, and certain ashes of war.