so far i've learned:
Maces are bad (i don't like how slow they swing :x)
the skeletons to the left of the area when you get to the real island (near the giant crow) are too stronk (srs tried like 15x )
and there are so many paths to take -.-; none of them seem right :|
At the bonfire you have 3 paths.
If you go down the stairs by the guide you will meet the firekeeper (if you find firekeeper souls you can give them to her to upgrade your Estus Flask so each of your sips from the flask are more potent and refill more of your health each time you drink from it), and if you continue adventuring further then you'll end up at an elevator that takes you deep down under ground into New Londo Ruins.
The start of this area has weak monsters, a blacksmith (mage), and two paths to take.
If you chose the master key you can take a path to the Valley of Drakes (difficult), which opens up a shortcut to Blighttown that is
not recommend to take on the first playthrough, not because it's difficult but because you will miss many experiences and opportunities to earn embers, armors, items, and more, but mostly the experiences! You also can go left into an area with ghosts (difficult).
You should not be down here when you start the game, but you should know about the area.
Back at the bonfire, you have two more paths. If you go east (right) up the steps you'll meet low level undead that you can easily kill. This is the path you should take and it will lead you to the Undead Burg.
Other places of interest at Firelink is a cleric that you can talk to and he'll offer you a chance to join his covenant, learn a gesture (for online play body gestures), and sell miracles for healing and other faith magic. If you are determined enough then you can speak with him throughout your playthrough for a side story that is very interesting if you're into that type of stuff. Near him is an empty elevator shaft that you can drop down to loot 4 chests. You then can leave but it will drop you into the graveyard.
Here is the 3rd place by firelink, and is challenging for new players. In the graveyard there are many items to loot, but it is challenging because of the skeletons here. You can find weapons, shields, soul items, binoculars, and more here, which are all good items to have for the start of the game. If you progress further then you'll find the Catacombs which are very difficult to move through for the unprepared.
You'll want to take the beginners path, which starts in firelink and you progress through Undead Burg. I won't tell you more, you need to discover what is there for yourself.