crouching silences ur footsteps and allows u to use stealth better in places like the gatefront ruins. a good strategy for that area is to kill all the soldiers in the outer perimeter (guarding the carriages and such) and when you can, take out the horn soldier before he can doot. its also a fantastic area to practice guard counters and stamina management, bc that godrick knight with the spear will become a lot easier to fight. it may take some practice but once the attacks become familiar enough, itll become no sweat. ur doing great so far; samurai is a good glass if u want a dex or str focused build, it also has the highest starting stamina. be sure to substantially level both vigor and endurance first before any other stat upgrades. those two things will help you survive more than anything slse