I guess I'm not SURPRISED that you didn't find Steady Hand McDuff but he's a pretty important dude to find in my opinion. Oh well! The way to find him is not a mechanic that was utilized in Dark Souls 1 or explained in this one except via the luck of discovering it.

Titanite becomes much easier once you end up with a vendor for it in town, which is surely very soon. They're also a common drop from an enemy you'll soon encounter.

I'm pretty sure this game has MULTIPLE stamina recovery shields. But they aren't as OP.