don't get me wrong, I'm not pissing on your build. or how you play. it's childish thing to do. in your case duelist saves you a lot of AB there, so good on you for that. between going 1h and full bab from duelist it shouldn't be half as bad as it could.

what I meant to say people should be aware of pure rogue trap. needed to clarify that so I didn't come across like an elitist douche.

Oh no, it's all fine.

But to stress that point: Yeah, playing Rogue is a bit specific in this game, in the table top version druids are the thing to go, or so I've heard.

Best thing is: Start whatever you like, do the first chapter and enjoy. If you don't: try something different. If you at first do but then don't:: get new tips and read about it. every class has it's ups and downs.

ehh... that's not exactly true. there are cookie-cutter builds that can do it all - both tank and dish out a lot of pain. and if we are talking pure class - sword saint can do everything duelist can and then some while being 10x sturdier. and lets not even talk about broken goodness of pure vivisectionist, that thing makes rogues cry. pure rangers are up there too. crazy damage per round and a pet that easily rivals story companions you get

not all are created equal in this game. there are some clear winners.

I think this is my problem... The only crpg i have beaten are POE and Deadfire.. This game is much harder... especially deadfire I could basically just let the AI do everything. I also hate min maxing which I think hinders me. I've also never played D&D/Pathfinder so its overwhelming. I think im just going to make a sword and shield fighter something super basic.

I don't min/max either, and I think I'm doing okay. There's nothing wrong with mono-class sword and board fighters. They're my favourite!

first of all do not get discouraged. all those systems in such games look intimidating with no good reason. you will get used to it in time. now if you want to just roll with the flow:
-make aldori duelist.
-str19, dex15, con14 - the rest doesn't matter. all bonus stats in str.
-take the heaviest armour you can find and the best shield(not a tower one). you will be a better valerie.
-take improved unarmed, dodge, crane style.
-take shield focus, two-weapon fighting, shield bash, double slice, bashing finish, shield master
-take outflank on all your melee guys at lvl7. no exceptions.
-then you can pick up some weapon feats and crit feats.
-dueling swords are covered under heavy blades for fighter class training. pick that every time you get it.
-mobility 3 in skills. the rest doesn't matter. click fighting defensively after you get crane style and never click it off.

done. very strong pure class with no complications.

you can go for dex13 and skip all the shield bashing stuff if you don't want to bother with it. will be good still.