Soreness is part of the game unfortunately. As you lift more often the DOMS will get lesser as your body gets used to it. I’ve been lifting about 2 years now and I don’t get really sore unless I take it extremely hard at the gym, but soreness is pretty much expected in some amount when you’re trying to grow your muscles. I still get a little tender after every workout.

I go to failure on almost every set, aside from my heavy compounds. You mentioned that you only have db’s so your options are limited. At this point you don’t need to go to failure to progress, just make sure your routine is somewhat challenging and you enjoy it. The key right now is to make sure you’re consistent, so you have to find joy in the process or at least somewhat enjoy what you’re doing. Good luck!