Kinda hard to define xD I started off as a pyromancer with a Fire Gem, and I've put a lot of level-up points into Vitality, Strength and Dexterity so that I could wear a set of proper armor and fight with a sword. I guess you could say I started off as a pyromancer and reclassed into a knight once I realized melee combat is pretty nice and blocking attacks is easier than avoiding them... but I still use my trusty fireballs to hit annoying enemies out of reach or to aggro enemies I'd rather fight alone than with their nearby pals to lure them away.
Starting off as a pyromancer is actually pretty good for the beginning of the game - your fireballs might be slow to throw, but they can kill most enemies you run into pretty much instantly and they're awesome for enemies that lack dash attacks and projectiles (more or less all enemies in the beginning of the game, that is!). You actually start with enough mana to be able to kill the tutorial boss with just fireballs... if you take your Ashen Estus charge into account, at least, and you
will have time to sip that sooner or later given how the boss has some attacks with loooong recovery time. Just take your time to learn his attacks so you know when it's safe. The trick to beat him as a pyromancer is to keep at a safe distance and make sure you end throwing before he does a jump attack. He doesn't seem to do two jumps at a time a lot, so trying to see when he charges a jump and then getting to a safe distance and throwing a fireball before he lands seems to work the best IMO.
Some other tips:
- Keep an eye on your stamina gauge - it actually helps to save up a bit of stamina so you can dodge roll after a bunch of attacks; they make you invincible for a short time. You can still do attacks and rolls when you're out of stamina, but attacks are less than half as powerful and a bit slower (so it's easier for enemies to retaliate), and dodge rolls are considerably slower but has the same number of invincibility frames... which means you get less far away and are wide open for attacks for longer. On that note, try to take note of how many attacks with your favourite weapon it takes to empty your stamina gauge completely, it helps you in knowing when to roll out and recharge.
- Remember to focus 100% on getting your souls back from the boss arena - you'll get a bunch from the enemies you cross each time you go back, and it might stack up to give you an extra levelup or an extra item once you're past the boss and get to the hub world.
- You can run for really long, and stamina recharges quickly! Never underestimate running away as a tactic. You don't need to worry about attacks that can't hit you.
- Speaking of the hub world (the inside of the temple), take your time to explore it a bit - it starts off with the Fire Keeper (buy levelups), the Blacksmith (buy weapon upgrades), the Handmaiden (general-purpose shopkeeper) and the depressed guy that tells you about the next mission objective... but there's a bunch of hidden NPCs that aren't immediately obvious, like a guy that sits on one of the thrones. If someone changes their dialogue the second time you talk to them, try talking a bit more... some NPCs give you stuff after you exhaust their dialogue. You generally want to spend all your souls on upgrades and items whenever you can so that you don't need to worry about losing anything, especially when heading to a new area you're unfamiliar with.
- Don't focus too much on HP - a lot of enemy attacks are combos or so powerful 30 extra HP doesn't really matter. Upgrade strength and dexterity so you can use more weapons, then find a type you like. Also upgrade vitality if you can, being able to carry heavier stuff without movement penalties is a good way to survive more. You don't need to worry about upgrading your magic ability early on - your basic fireball is good enough and should last you until you're comfortable with the game.
- As soon as you can (which is the first real area - it has a bunch of swords as item orbs and many enemies can drop them) get a sword and get the stats to use it. They're very versatile and pretty fast. If you get a fire gem, use it to infuse the sword you like the most - a lot of early enemies are weak to fire and/or will be too busy burning to attack you.
- Whenever you find a door that reads "Doesn't open from this side", remember it - it's a shortcut you'll unlock later. In particular, the one in the first real area at the "wrong" tower is a shortcut to the area boss you'll LOVE having access to.
- Get a bunch of prism stones as well - they can be thrown down ledges to tell if a pit is bottomless or not (they play a scream if the pit is bottomless) and are pretty nice for platforming bits in side areas.
Also, some specific tips.
- On the left side of the shrine (aka leave through the main entrance and turn right) there's an optional boss swordsmaster. He's pretty tough, but can be relatively easily defeated by fireballs and running away, or made to fall off the edge (reload the area to put hits drops at his starting position so you can access them). That Uchigatana needs a lot of strength and dexterity, but its range is amazing and it looks absolutely badass to wield as well.
- Once you get close enough to the big knight that guards the burning courtyard to actually see him (you'll know what I talk about once you see the guy), take your time to explore the floors above him before going down. There's a big dinner hall place with a treasure chest containing a Silver Eagle Kite Shield which is as amazing as it sounds (100% absorption for generic physical attacks, meaning you can block normal enemies without chip damage) and it also has an Estus Shard hidden at a different spot, which can be turned in at the blacksmith to increase your max number of Estus charges.
- Speaking of treasure chests, approach them with care. Mimics are one of the most dangerous enemies in the game. You might want to attack them from a safe distance to make sure they're not going to eat you before trying to open a chest.