Tip 1: If you're unhappy with your starting class, don't fret. You'll find the equipment for all three classes in the first few hours with enough exploration, so feel free to change your approach without starting the game over.

Tip 2: Keep that shield up at all times. Enemies like to hide behind corners and catch you off guard, which can be deadly without proper protection.

Tip 3: If you're not wearing the heaviest armor in the game, get used to rolling. The shield works at times, but dodging an attack completely proves even more effective. This is especially true for many boss fights since a lot of them can just blow right through most shields with ease.

Tip 4: You can use a checkpoint and enemies won't spawn again... as long as you don't bank your experience points.

Tip 5: The more you kill enemies without banking your XP, the more total XP you receive thanks to a multiplier that shows on the bottom of the screen. If you die, that multiplier goes back down to zero.

Tip 6: When you die, you can go back to that spot and get your XP back, a la Souls games. There's a twist though - a percentage counts down, and if you don't reach the spot in time the XP disappears.

Tip 7: Explore the world thoroughly. Even in the first few hours there are a lot of areas to discover, which in turns results in more handy items and equipment. Just be careful though, as it's easy to get lost in Lords of the Fallen.

Tip 8: Unless you know you're going to be using magic a lot, spend most of your XP on attribute points. They will help more in the long run.

Tip 9: Always try to get behind enemies to backstab them. Backstabs often take out enemies in one or two hits.