i dno, maybe i was just intimidated by its size
... its hard to believe the same rules of combat would apply (dodging and stagger mechanics) with a dude that big, but i guess i just have to trust it. but man, it was really frustrating to actually gut my way through that whole opening area only to die to the second wolf and losing all progress.
at least now i've opened another gate so when i inevetably die and respawn at central yharnam i can just go through the left gate now and cut through that whole bonfire area. i also feel like the gun mechanic is inconsistent. there are times where i swear i got it off and it straight up whiffs on the enemy. i know im not meant to use it for damage, but only to parry/stagger, but it doesnt feel nearly as consistent as god of war's parry.
there were also some frustrating times when fighting the big axe dude when i clearly got the parry (guy staggered and dropped to a knee) but he still connected on his attack simultaneous to my gun blast that stunned him. so i die at the same time that he gets parried? wtf
btw i picked the blunderbuss instead of the other gun, dno if that was just a poor choice
i also selected the hunter axe