Beginner tips?

[n13e86]

Basically, the existence of the newer namesake reboot makes it impossible to find much online.
And the guide I found focuses entirely on the aspects I do not yet care about (like leveling up, choosing class, and so on). I want to understand the basics first.
For example: you have a button to hold up the shield. What does it do?
(I am an actual beginner in this case, I've never played games like this)

[patrixilentius]

You hold the shield up to block incoming attacks, and if you hold it up and charge an enemy hiding behind a shield, you will knock it away.
Other than that, you just walk around, explore, find weapons and upgrade runes, talk to NPCs and kill bosses. That's about it.
Also, FightinCowboy made a pretty good walkthrough, probably the best one for this game ever. He also has good build & boss guides for it. (No, I am not associated with him in any way.)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7RtZMiaOk8heGV0PGSsQWGxwlLOY85MO

[n13e86]

What does "blocking" an attack look like?
In the tutorial, it visibly stunned the enemy. In every other situation where I tried to use this, it simply let me take a hit.
Does it reduce damage instead of stopping the attack entirely?
Basically, I just thought that I was doing it wrong, since it's been punishing me for trying.

[patrixilentius]

It should block it entirely, unless your shield allows some damage to come through. Somewhere in its stats it should say how it works.

[time2come]

It depends on the shield stats, your current stamina and how strong the enemy attack is. If you equip a shield that has physical defense 100%, it negates all physical damage if you block successfully. The enemy attack will deplete your current stamina instead. If you continue to block while receiving attacks, the enemy will eventually break your guard and you might stagger or receive damage. Just make sure you have enough stamina for blocking or just dodge away to avoid incoming damage.

The same goes if you equip a shield that provides 80% physical defense, you take 20% of the damage instead from blocking.

You can also stun the enemy by parrying with your shield. For this, you have to time the parry just when the enemy is about to strike. And this will require a lot of practice.

Another important aspect is the total equipped weight on your character will determine the speed at which he dodges and runs. The game classifies this as Light/Medium/Heavy. The lighter you are, the faster you dodge and move. At the same time, damage received is the highest. If I remember correctly, to maintain "Light" weight, you can only equip about 30% or below of your total weight capacity. The color of the weight will indicate the category you are in. If it shows green, it means your hero is "Light". You can still be "Light" even if you equip heavy armor, the total weight just needs to be around 30% of weight capacity.

Also a tip for you: Patience is key to beating your enemies. Learn to read your enemies movement and attack pattern, dodge when needed and only strike when there is an opportunity. Don't be too greedy when attacking bosses.

[n13e86]

"You can also stun the enemy by parrying with your shield. For this, you have to time the parry just when the enemy is about to strike. And this will require a lot of practice."
This is the answer I was looking for.
I was wondering if there's anything beyond stats (which I'm not interested in).

[Gamerzilla]

IMO the sheild is most useful for moving into unexplored territory as the sheild will eat that ambush attack from the guy hiding behind the door instead of your face. Holding block while fighting stops energy regen so you dont want to use it all the time.