Consumables are also extremely powerful early game, you can use just Throwing Knives and Firebombs/Urns and wreck a ton of enemies. Players are just too reliant on one play style, so when they whiff at a wall or the floor, or use the wrong attack type on enemies and get poor results, they cry foul before rethinking their strategy.
Edit: Regarding 50% vs 70% rolls and benefits. 50% rolls are longer than 70%, they both take the same amount of time, and the i-frames are dictated by your agility, not the roll type (not sure if this is the case for fat rolls).
Also, every bit of equipment that you have on you lowers your overall stamina regen, being at or below 50% gives noticeably faster stamina regen compared to below 70%. It's essentially like a Cloranthy +1 ring amount of difference. I try to get to 50% for this reason alone, the longer roll animation is also beneficial for getting roll backstabs and maneuverability in general.
