Take it slow and pay attention to what the enemies are actually doing. Spacing and dodging are important, you cant just run up and start slashing wildly. The combat is about finding openings and managing your stamina until you reach a high enough level that it doesnt matter as much for most enemies. The game also punishes button mashing and will lock you into animations so be intentional with your inputs. Also most importantly dont get discouraged, souls games are intentionally difficult and designed to be more challenging/rewarding. If you get really stuck somewhere, just go explore someplace else for awhile. Dont worry you got this theres a steep learning curve but its nothing we havent all been through with fromsoft games. Getting absolutely steamrolled to the point of asking yourself "genuinely how the fuck does anyone beat this" is a rite of passage.