Hold the Block icon to stop incoming attacks but keepin mind bombos can break your block and leave you vulnerable. To prevent this press the block icon right before a light attack connects to break an enemy's combo.

When an enemy is weakened you can kill it using a finisher. Tap the icons before they disappear for a longer finisher and a health or wrath boost.

Roll as much as you can. Rolling is much better than pure blocking. Learn your foe's attacks and dodge away to strike while your enemy's still flailing.

Upgrade as often as you can. And don't forget to spend your character points.

You have to spend some coins on unlocking perks even after you've found them.

Perk action buttons appear at the right time in some parts of the dungeon, in cases where you actually need to use them.