5hrs in and I have questions! (Spoilers)

Just got this game yesterday, and put five hours in. I’ve just defeated the Puppet of the Future, and have the shortcut to the boss of the level but not beaten him.

At first, I thought it was a bit of a BloodBorne rip off, and worried I wouldn’t enjoy it, but now I’m hooked! I really feel like this game is bringing something fresh to the genre so far.

Some questions

1) At this stage, what should I be focussing on in terms of weapon, upgrades etc 2) Any tips in terms of how I approach my build? I seem to be quite even across the categories so far, and took the starter option that seemed more like a “blend” 3) I’ll admit, if I get to the end, I’ll want to save-scum for the endings. Any spoiler-ish free advice on when to copy my save? 4) I’ve beaten all the FromSoft games. I’m not actually that good, as I summoned help for the bosses. Partly for this reason, Sekiro was crazy hard for me. Partly also as I never quite got good at parrying, and it was so different from the souls games. Is there any advice on the combat, things I might need to learn / unlearn / get better at? 5) Any other things you wish you knew when you started out?

Fingers crossed I’m able to keep progressing, and thanks for any advice!

EDIT: I’ve just seen the thread on builds :) very useful.