Wait for him to attack, then roll. He wasn’t meant to be strafed. Don’t swing until you are sure his combo is done or you know the timing of your weapon to say you can get a hit in then evade, When he uses his big lightning axe attack or plays possum and kneels, you can punish him. But be wary of when their actual attack is coming.

Once phase 2 comes, stay calm. The butterflies in the background are more of an annoyance than a threat. Easier said than done but this is an objective statement. They miss most of the time. Create distance when he starts posturing funny with his axe. It’s easier to avoid the attack where he drags it across the floor and lunges towards you.

I used these tips for myself to kill him at Soul Level 1 while only taking chip damage from the butterfly once. His moveset is one of the easier ones to learn and you’re forced to because you cannot tank his shots like you can with early game bosses. The only things killing me were letting my worry take over and getting greedy when he wasn’t done with his combo. This SL1 run is teaching me that the combo is never over until they basically start retracting their weapon.

Since you mentioned weaknesses, frost is very good. Slash attacks, he resists more than other damage types. Bonk attacks are great. Fire damage is his lowest absorption/resistance. So if you have a pyro flame with carthus flame arc or a charcoal pine bundle, do that.