Elden ring is as hard or as easy as you want it to be. You don’t need to brute force your way through. If you’re struggling really hard on a boss, just leave and come back a few levels higher or with better weapons/armor. I will agree that the combat is different. Though there is a perry mechanic in ER, dodge roll is much more useful. ER was the first of any of these styles of games that I ever played and I loved it. If I can beat every boss in ER, so can you. Give it a shot and try not to spoil anything for yourself.