So picked this up with the PSN sale.. First time playing any of the games. This game is very oddly satisfying.
Like I have even beat any boss yet.. Getting crushed and replaying and getting better. I'll get frustrated and walk away but want to keep playing to get that extra progression in the game.
Basically I've cleared most of central.. When i get home I'm going to be going for the bosses.
Any tips in general for the game?
You're doing it right. Be patient, try not to get frustrated at the deaths, and just try to learn from your experiences. Don't get greedy and try to go for fast kills, even if you are winning. Fights can go south for you very, very quickly in this game.
All weapons are viable. Pick one that you like and learn it well, but don't be afraid to experiment with other ones.
Pressing the dodge button while you're knocked down makes you get up and roll away. It's faster than just waiting to get up.
Weapons that transform into a two-handed form (which means you can't use your gun or left-hand weapon) have an extra move if you press L2.
Besides the normal R1/R2 attacks, all weapons have different attack animations after a roll, after a dodge step when locked on, after a back step, and when running. They also have transform attacks if you do dodge > L1. Some weapons can swap pretty seamlessly from one form to the other.
Your gun is primarily a defensive tool rather than an offensive one. Shooting most smaller enemies immediately before their attack lands can stagger them, leaving them vulnerable to a very strong attack called a visceral attack. You'll hear a very distinct and deep "boooom" sound if you do it right. If this happens, get in front of them and press R1 to land a visceral attack. You'll know it when you see it.
You can backstab some enemies with a charged (held down) R2 attack, if you position it right. This is usually hard to do, as the enemy has to either be very slow or if you snuck up on them. But if you land it, you get the same "boom" sound and your enemy will collapse. If this happens, rress R1 from behind them to land a visceral.
The pistol has a faster recovery after the shot, which means if you get a stagger with it, you can dash forward and land a visceral, or you can sometimes dodge away if you miss. The shotgun doesn't have the recovery time for this, but the spread means that it has a better chance of at least making the target flinch even if you don't quite land the stagger.
If you get hit, you should pretty much never try to mash R1 to try to get a hit in, even if your enemy is one hit from death. Chances are, your opponent will hit you out of your windup and kill you eventually if you try to mash your way out.