Me at the current state, I've already bought every upgrade I can, if anything, prepare at least 6 weapons, different elemental affinities are the best. if not, at least have some of them serve utility, such as any weapon that has Wind Armor skill (grants haste) or has a chance to proc status effects, AND STATUS EFFECTS ARE KING IN THIS GAME
Recommended Status Effects: Sleep, Confuse, and Slow.
Recommended Weapons Skills: Haste, Backflip (or dash)
Why those? Because 1: you got regenerating health, which you will feel the benefit once you levelled up Reduce Erosion
2. You have a block meter at the top right, and that increases up to 80% by default just by walking and not getting attacked, it serves as your armor and can save your bacon up to two times effectively
Your tactic will be hit and run, hit the enemy, watch your meters, if your block goes low or your health, do something to force an enemy to one of the status effects I mentioned above, run, then finish them off.
Other status effects such as poison or utilities such as healing is secondary or bonus, if you can slow and poison an enemy, that's perfect, but slow is enough to tilt the odds
For beginners, do not focus on eliminating everything you see, and don't expect to clear the current game in the 1st try, sometimes you have to leave it to the metagame to help you, run if you can, and always ring the bell, then craft, prepare, then dive again, until you're ready, with skills levelled up and have weapons to spare, start out with at least 3 weapons, then as you level the "keep items" increase the weapons you bring by one, to a maximum of 6
I basically just run around an empty room to max my HP, Stamina, and Block, sure it increases your erosion but once your skills are endgame level, it doesn't matter, before raiding the next room, and I scout the rooms 1st without entering them, If I see two or more enemies in the entrance or two steps away, then it's a no-go. (for newbies) unless the exit is just right in front of it, then make a run for it
the only enemies that will give you a pain in the arse are just Amazons, Onis, and Lamias, as all of them can restrict your movement or cut your retreat, the rest of the monsters are complete pushovers (I fucking love and hate your axe, you bloody Amazons, wonderful in my hand, painful in yours)