User blog comment:True Aranel/Help With Character Building?/@comment-177.183.27.236-20120825232042/@comment-5337347-20120901040852

A high endurance is good for both situations, since it gives you the ability to dodge more, and block more attacks (or attack enough times to knock out your enemies before the fight even begins, right?)

For your dex-based character, I'd recommend the lightest weight armor you can manage, a medium shield (good example being the Crest/Dragoncrest Shields). This should leave you light enough to dodge properly, but also well enough protected to survive a few attacks if you can't dodge. For a dex character, moving around a lot is your strength, and the lightweight armor also leaves open more weapon choices.

For your heavy armor guy, I'd highly recommend a good endurance level. More so than the dex build. He needs to be able to swing his greatsword AND block attacks. The shield with the best stability in the game is the Greatshield of Artorias, with an 88 stability. However, it also weighs 16 pounds, so moving properly with that and a greatsword is pretty much out of the question unless you get the Darkwood Grain Ring. Especially when you factor in armor.

Another very popular strategy is to max out your endurance and vitality, and use elemental weapons, (Lightning, Fire, and Chaos) as these don't require high stats to deal good damage. Try to get the Gargoyle Halberd from the Belfry Gargoyles, either in the Undead Parish, or Anor Londo. Fully upgraded down the Lightning path, I believe it does over 700 damage, and you only need the base stats to use it properly, because elemental weapons don't have stat scaling (meaning no matter how high your strength and dex are, it doesn't get better). That may sound bad, but until your strength and dex are pretty high, an elemental weapon can still do greater damage.

Hope that's helpful! Sorry it was delayed, school just started and I've had the audacity to not even check in recently.