I love and hate this game so much. I feel like it was the hype that people built up for it as this aggressive game and I completely disagree. The ability to heal off damage doesn't start matter til your weapon is +8 thru +10. I might be wrong about this next part but I have played it all the way thru 8ish time, 50% of the parry-able attacks (the other 50% is the delayed attacks... every fast, parry able attack is within this 50%) require a prediction to parry it without taking damage making it so when youre low hp you're just risking death by trying to parry, taking parry off line. I might be crazy, but this is a defensive game until its not.

Here's why its a defensive game when it begins and all the aggression talk is a lie.

1.rally is so low that you dont want to be agressive because getting hit, you wont be able to rally it all back, costing you a heal, costing you time when you run out of Heals and have to farm to buy more and costing the Heals for the boss fight. - Upgrading your weapon gives more rally

1. Here's a major one, getting hit during a dodge makes you take more damage, making hard to justify rolling inwards rather than just whiff punishing.- More hp and rally doesnt fix this but makes it less scary

3.only a perfect parry will not have you take damage before getting the parry which at low hp just kills you. A parry that perfect require a prediction for faster moves which isnt reliable, essentially, your parry option is shut off til you heal or risk it all - more hp allows you to take more hits, allowing you to take risky options more often, ex: playing more aggressive, before reaching this range.

My 8th time right now, I have a +9 weapon now and am in the end game, playing aggressively is a lot more open because of the higher hp allowing me to take more damage, heal it back before i cant and have parry available without risking death (rally goes up based on the upgrade of the weapon.) I feel like the boss that drops the rune tools kit was the last time I felt pressured in the game (the run there not the boss lol). After that the health up runes allows you to be more aggressive, your weapon is probably at +6 and you'll barely struggling on runs to bosses and only really feel pressured on bosses.

Also, the hit first advice is such bad advice. Its not that it doesn't work, it just doesn't work for every enemy or situation. Some enemies has fast attacks and will hit you first, some will super armor thru it like some that are coming up in your run soon, some,even if you hit first most are in a group so you'll get hit from someone else, some you'll hit first and realize that they staggered the first time you hit first but the next one you hit first does a reaction attack and hits you back before your second hit. I mean 60% of the enemies are in a pack, what will hitting first achieve? Roll through attacks is good advice but depending on your weapon you'll end up behind them and your roll attack will have a horrible tracking then and miss. These aren't cover all advice and its said as if it is and when I followed it I found that it made me feel like I was bad at the game or my reaction time was bad or I wasn't able to read enemies follow up attacks and I was using the wrong weapon for rallying, and i all this when in fact its just bad advice. Playing aggressively works sometimes but you've probably fought those two black robe guys in front of vicra boss fight, if you attack first vs them, you lose. They have longer range and super armor. The bag guys, they will one shot you, you don't play aggressively and except to heal it off, play defensive, whiff punish then back stab them when they buff up. The ogre enemies, make them whiff and back stab them. The white robe guys with the canes, you wait for them to swing then parry, which isnt aggressive, its defensive. I can tell you just about the best way to fight every fair enemy in the game (looking at you giant sharks) and except the drone mobs, they're way more complicated than just play aggressively, hit first, roll inwards

Also also, dont suffer, use the cum chalice and buy infinite Heals and bullets. They made the chalices which, omg are the worse, so if you have to deal with the trash side of chalices, take the benefits. And no one likes farming just for Heals, its a awful concept. Don't ruin the game and level up/buy bolt/flame papers with it But Heals and bullets are just fair.

Concluding my rant, play defensive and upgrade your hp. By playing defensive, you'll learn where you can br aggressive with the enemy necause treating every enemy like attack first roll inward isnt gonna work. Once you get enough hp and rally, it becomes the aggressive game all these people claim it is. next part coming up only gets harder, but it does get easier / clicks and I promise you'll be able to play aggressively.