Hi! Here are some tips that I wish I would have known when I started this game:
1. Royalty class is the easiest starting class. Choose female gender if the want the silver bracelet.
2. 1-1 has the two most important rings in the game, the cling ring (found at the locked door to the left of the t-junction you initially arrive at) and the thief's ring (found at the top of the tower past the first fog door guarded by the blue-eye knight). You must roll off the side and land on some wooden scaffolding.
3. DON'T WORRY ABOUT SOULS. It may seem like a huge loss when you die and lose 1000 souls but really it makes no difference. You will encounter enemies worth 5000 souls later in the game.
4. Vitality and endurance are the first two stats you want to upgrade. You get diminishing returns at around level 40 for each (stamina caps at 40) but it is important to max them out early. In Demon's souls, the jack of all trades is a master of none. Choose one or two stats (aside from vitality and endurance ) and then find weapons that scale with those stats.
5. Avoid heavy armor. It may seem like the best but it is much more effective to roll. Keep your burden below 50%
6. Get a good shield. Easiest to get is the heater shield from boldwin for roughly 3000 souls and it blocks 100% of all melee damage. The purple flame shield is one of the best shields and is available in 1-1 but you must make it through the two dragons first. You can get the blue dragon to fly away with arrows (he will appear again later in 1-4) and you can go back to 1-1 after seeing the red dragon in 1-2.
7. Best place to farm souls is shrine of storms. The rolling skeletons drop a decent amount once you can kill them consistently and there is a huge shortcut to adjudicator. 4-2 is the ultimate farming spot where you can kill the reaper with your bow for 5000 souls, kill yourself, recover bloodstain, and repeat. Also, if you are a mage who likes to use a sword get the CRESCENT FALCHION +1 in 4-1 as it is arguably the best sword you can get early in the game. Try going there and getting the sword as early as possible (you do not need to complete the level).
8. DO NOT CONSUME DEMON SOULS! You need them for new spells and unique weapons, make sure you give flamelurkers soul to Blacksmith Ed in 2-1 so he can craft unique weapons for you. After you get the soul just keep talking to him and he will eventually bring up the subject.
9. Best order of level (in my opinion) is 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2,2-3, 4-1, 3-1,3-2, 3-3, 4-2,4-3, then all of five. Do not go to five unless you have some serious poison resist.
10. Do not ever harm NPCs and try to find as many in the levels as possible. Sage Freke is in 3-1, Yuria is in 1-3, Biorr is in 1-3, the miracles guy is in 4-2, Patches is in 4-2, and there are a few more important ones that I am forgetting.
11. KILL YURT THE SILENT CHIEF!! That guy is a dick.