Dark Souls II is many things its siblings are not.

It is the only from software game where your left hand weapon has a full moveset; completely ambidextrous.
It's the only fromsoft game where you can infuse almost any weapon, and buff infused weapons.
It's the only one where you can dual wield weapons of different classes.
It's the only one where you can strap two bones to your fist and do a hadouken.
It's the only one where you can buff a chime with lightning from another chime, making that first chime deal more damage with lightning spells.
It's the only one with not one but TWO shields that cast miracles (one which casts hexes), A mace that casts hexes and miracles, a sword, twinblade, and a spear that cast sorcery, and a shield that is a crossbow.
It's the only one with nacho cheese AND cool ranch doritos.

Buildcraft in this game is unmatched. The developers clearly had player creativity in mind, and removed as many limitations as possible which were seen in prior (and succeeding) fromsoft games. There is very little restriction on what you can and cannot do with your weapons and equipment, and it leads to a tremendously deep experience when planning builds and experimenting with playstyles. There's really nothing else like it; not even Elden Ring boasts the same diversity of tactics.

BTW don't listen to what people tell you; you don't have to level ADP, at least not so much. DS2's bosses and enemies are designed less around being dodge rolled through, and more around finding the blind spots and gaps in attacks, and using good footwork to strafe around them.

Rolling is more committal in this game, and rolling attacks go in the direction you rolled, which leaves you with much shorter openings where you have to re-orient after a dodge before you can strike. But if you can master walking just at the edge of swings, placing yourself in their blind spots, and pushing in at the right time to retaliate while they're committed to their own attacks, you may never have to dodge at all. In that sense, rolling should be seen as a last-resort when your positioning is bad, not the modus operandi. Personally I find this game much more satisfying, and the boss fights much elevated, when trying to dodge as little as possible, rather than dodging everything like I would in DS3 or ER.

It's also a game that clearly wants you to play co-operatively. Dark Souls 1 was a game where it was extremely easy to run past almost every challenge the game had, once you learned the layout and enemy aggro ranges a bit. There was little incentive to summon players for anything other than a boss you were stuck on. In DS2, the level design is evidently more punishing to solo players, and sometimes even a bit mean; but with a friend, these challenges are perfectly manageable, and clearly summoning was the intented method of play for a lot of locations.

You can still play solo if you want to, but it demands a degree of patience. You have to be willing to take things slow, bait out enemies individually, or commit to using equipment that's good at dealing with groups. You can't expect to move around freely everywhere you go, or run past enemies without concern. Nothing in this game is genuinely unfair, so long as you exercise patience and presence of mind. Keep an eye and ear out, take caution when entering new areas, be ready to back up and always have a place in mind to back up to.

Most importantly, have fun with it; it's not a big deal if you die, and often you'll die in ways that really should be funny. This game has an exceptional sense of humor, there are so many cheeky details and silly traps that the developers clearly had a blast designing. Let it be funny to you, stop taking to your keyboard to malign every "unfair" death, odds are you're not doing a no-hit challenge run.

Dark Souls II is many things its siblings are not. It is the only from software game where your left hand weapon has a full moveset; completely ambidextrous. It's the only fromsoft game where you can infuse almost any weapon, and buff infused weapons. It's the only one where you can dual wield weapons of different classes. It's the only one where you can strap two bones to your fist and do a hadouken. It's the only one where you can buff a chime with lightning from another chime, making that first chime deal more damage with lightning spells. It's the only one with not one but TWO shields that cast miracles (one which casts hexes), A mace that casts hexes and miracles, a sword, twinblade, and a spear that cast sorcery, and a shield that is a crossbow. It's the only one with nacho cheese AND cool ranch doritos. Buildcraft in this game is unmatched. The developers clearly had player creativity in mind, and removed as many limitations as possible which were seen in prior (and succeeding) fromsoft games. There is very little restriction on what you can and cannot do with your weapons and equipment, and it leads to a tremendously deep experience when planning builds and experimenting with playstyles. There's really nothing else like it; not even Elden Ring boasts the same diversity of tactics. BTW don't listen to what people tell you; you don't have to level ADP, at least not so much. DS2's bosses and enemies are designed less around being dodge rolled through, and more around finding the blind spots and gaps in attacks, and using good footwork to strafe around them. Rolling is more committal in this game, and rolling attacks go in the direction you rolled, which leaves you with much shorter openings where you have to re-orient after a dodge before you can strike. But if you can master walking just at the edge of swings, placing yourself in their blind spots, and pushing in at the right time to retaliate while they're committed to their own attacks, you may never have to dodge at all. In that sense, rolling should be seen as a last-resort when your positioning is bad, not the modus operandi. Personally I find this game much more satisfying, and the boss fights much elevated, when trying to dodge as little as possible, rather than dodging everything like I would in DS3 or ER. It's also a game that clearly wants you to play co-operatively. Dark Souls 1 was a game where it was extremely easy to run past almost every challenge the game had, once you learned the layout and enemy aggro ranges a bit. There was little incentive to summon players for anything other than a boss you were stuck on. In DS2, the level design is evidently more punishing to solo players, and sometimes even a bit mean; but with a friend, these challenges are perfectly manageable, and clearly summoning was the intented method of play for a lot of locations. You can still play solo if you want to, but it demands a degree of patience. You have to be willing to take things slow, bait out enemies individually, or commit to using equipment that's good at dealing with groups. You can't expect to move around freely everywhere you go, or run past enemies without concern. Nothing in this game is genuinely unfair, so long as you exercise patience and presence of mind. Keep an eye and ear out, take caution when entering new areas, be ready to back up and always have a place in mind to back up to. Most importantly, have fun with it; it's not a big deal if you die, and often you'll die in ways that really should be funny. This game has an exceptional sense of humor, there are so many cheeky details and silly traps that the developers clearly had a blast designing. Let it be funny to you, stop taking to your keyboard to malign every "unfair" death, odds are you're not doing a no-hit challenge run.