He's a beginner, that's not very easy stuff to just get.
If I were you I would focus on stamina for now. It's hard at the lower levels when you don't have good equipment. More stamina = last longer = die less = level faster.
As for weapons, for fastest leveling two handed halberd for sure. But again, if you have problems fighting the mobs, it may be better for you to use a shield + sword/blunt.
Also, check these 2 threads:

They are guides that could be good for you to read. For the later levels I imagine they are not up to date anymore, but they should do the trick until you reach at least lvl 75.
Greetz and good luck