I found the easiest way to take down Havel, the knight made of stone with the large club behind the locked door in the Taurus Demon's tower is to unequip all of your armour. Early on in the game, he's going to one shot you regardless, so it's best to get to the floor above him, heal up and undress.
(As a side note, I actually managed to shake off a hit from him without armour on while I had the Blue Tearstone Ring equipped, something that never happened while fully decked out.)
Lure him up a level from where he starts so that you can safely recover your bloodstain if you die, and then just prepare to dodge. Launching an offensive against him is risky, so stick to a very defensive mindset. His swings are a bit delayed from when he pulls back. He'll hitch up due to the weight. Refrain from dodging for just a brief moment when he readies, then roll, get around him and use the backstab. Even with the drake sword it takes about five or six of these, unless you manage to land a few regular blows in between.
I'm not sure if anyone really needs this strategy at this point, but I thought I'd try and help out anyone who was having trouble with him. He does drop the fairly useful Havel's Ring that increases your equip load by a fairly significant amount.
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