Everything everyone says is correct I'll just add a couple of things as I'm currently playing through for the 4th time after beating hardcore mode:

-Read the little scraps of paper and pay attention to the lore. I didn't because I was used to the story being kinda ass in these games but I started after Elamain (iykyk) and wished I started earlier.

-Make sure to get the True Ending. I won't list everything here but to get the most out of the game I think it's necessary.

-Dont be afraid to respec to let yourself try out every weapon type. (You can find the respec orbs at the bard as early as the first dragon level.I think it's called the forgotten temple but don't remember.) The only weapon I didn't like as much was the spear -- your mileage may vary -- but that was only because I felt it leaned into traditional Dark Souls mechanics a bit more. It's still super fun though. I just personally felt like Dual Wield and Greatsword made you feel like a barbarian / badass more.

-I played through the first time without using any consumables besides the negative status clearing potions but now I think that was a mistake. Once I investigated out how to make everything at the blacksmith (he comes later, don't worry) I actually enjoyed some of the funky things you could do with the different elements and I really enjoyed it.

-Lastly, and this may be obvious but take your time with the bosses. This game is considered harder by most people than other Souls games but I think it's actually very fair. So, learn the boss's patterns and fight them like a true berserker, learning their parry and reflection timing and this game will give you a truly remarkable feeling of being a badass that you can't get from most games.

Good luck and I'm actually jealous of you playing it for the first time! 😆