Please do not listen to this person, DEX does not increase attack speed...Realitycrash said:Oh, so dex increases attack-speed? Did not know that. Thanks!
If you are still having trouble with Persuer get your equip load below 70% so your walk/dodge speed is as fast as it will go and always dodge to the right when he attacks. The further below the 70% hard cap you are, the further your roll animation will carry you.
If you are looking for a really good early game strength weapon, the Greatsword found in No Man's Wharf is just the thing. The 2 handed R1s hit incredibly hard and really fast relative to the size of the weapon. The weapon is incredibly large though, weighing 22 units. The downside is you'll either have to wear lighter armor to move at a decent pace or pump up your VIT and fighting in tight spaces can be tricky. The upside is that this sword has incredible reach, allowing your character to dish out massive damage from relative safety. It also upgrades with easily obtainable Titanite, and the required stats to use it are only 28 STR and 10 DEX.
If you need any advice about the game feel free to PM me. I've put far more hours of my life into the Souls series than I care to admit.