@beige My answer to most challenges from Iron Golem up until the final boss (who said learn2play, Bowley), was “carry a big shield”. Do you have the Eagle shield? It’s a Roman legion looking shield you probably picked up on the way down to Blight Town that has low str/dex requirements, but high stability. You’re getting close to the end, so it may not be worth it now, but it was a good sturdy shield and easy to run out and buy titanite to level it up with.