Notes from author
The key thing is using Havel's Sheild to buff yourself for extra poise (doesn't stack with wolf ring)
swap out the shield for a weapon with some sort of unique attack. Pick your favorite: golem axe, dragon surfboard, dragonking greataxe, or some other bigass weapon.
Pyromany is fun, and a rank 3 dragon head / body gives you a strong fire surge attack and a force effect with a huge radius.
feel free to swap out vitality for less fire magic. the biggest thing is NO WOLF RING, as the havel buff is a much better poise booster than the ring.