The mid roll may turn you off but it's the price you gotta pay for poise+ the mid roll teaches you how to parry because you can't dodge weapon attacks as easy but you can still doge pursuers, wotg etc. Ricard's rapier for npp (no poise people) uchigatana for build bleed causing host/phantom/dark spirit panic. Hornet ring for get good damage backstabs (Ricard's rapier recomended).