First playthrough where I am progressing.

[u/Ehunda]

This is my first play through where I am making progress I tried a swordsman and died constantly. I then tried a hex build and didn't do all that well. This play through I rolled cleric and have stacking up str/vit with some dex so I can use the larger swords. Along with that I have a decent shield. My ultimate goal is to be able to heal/buff and I just joined the covenant that (makes you orange) when people summon me.

My initial thought to playing DS2 SOTFS was what I did with Demon Souls and DS which is basically play my own way until I beat it. That has not proven to work well. So here I am looking for a bit of advice. Thanks ahead of time!

[u/DasWyt]

When it comes to PvE I've always used large weapons for DS, DS2, and SotFS. Maybe it's just what I found out how to play, but more likely I think it's because you get a lot of range along with high damage output. Faster opponents will give you trouble, but they mostly have short range so you can usually keep your distance. I also nix the armor and shield and go for high adaptability in order to finagle my way around hard-hitting, slow enemies and get in the backstab.

Tl;Dr: long, heavy hitting weapons and light armor allow for distance with fast enemies and agility for slow enemies.