If you're having trouble with Margit, try what it seems like From wants you to do: play like a complete bitch. He also apparently has his own music box, but I never found it before I killed him (at level 12, mind).
See, in Bloodborne, you could hit someone, quickstep, hit someone, quickstep, etc. and weave in and out of their attacks. Some enemies, sure, had combos you had to avoid, but whatever. I killed Orphan of Kos with the wagon wheel. Here? Nah, these are designed around the idea of you having a shield and playing like a bitch, with get-out-of-jail-free cards thrown in. Margit has that stupid dagger, and other bosses have zero-tell near-instant moves that you just have to expect them to do if you try a punish.
Margit has a few moves that he will never follow up with something else. Those are your big punishes. For every other move, poke him once when you evade the main attack, and just predict that he'll dagger or continue the combo. Because he will. That seems to be their trick - a lot of move combos will end at 2 or 3 hits if they miss and you don't press anything, but if you attack or roll they continue. Same trick as attacks that are functionally just stances.
