Yea, it's definitely difficult to get into at first, but compared to other soulslikes that have a similar parry system in place - Lies of P, First Berserker Khazan - it's a lot more forgiving, actually. In some cases, you can even just spam the block button for some "random" parries here and there. For most people, it takes them up to around the half-way point of the game, the first major roadblock for many, when they get the hang of the combat. It can be quite frustrating at times for sure, though.

Feel free to drop by and ask for help too if you need to - there are many on here who could share their knowledge with you! :)