So what can I spend my Blood echoes on? And where? I played a bit last night (very beginning) and got past the place I was last time. Perhaps I haven't reached a point where I can spend these? I was wanting to buy something because I keep losing them, but I don't see where to buy stuff. The only thing I saw I could upgrade with was some blood thing for my weapons? I really don't like starting from the beginning when I die.
Activate the first lantern in Central Yharnam and then go to Hunter's Dream and you'll see a doll you can talk to to spend echoes on your primary stats like HP or stamina. Certain weapons have stat requirements to use so be aware of that before making your decision on what stat to upgrade. And further up the stairs you'll see a work bench to use Blood Stones to upgrade weapons. A little later on you'll unlock the alter to place runes which give you more stat upgrades like getting more echoes from kills or increased stamina.
Starting over sucks and its what made me give up on this game when it released almost 2 years ago. But I've been playing it for like a month now and I'm hooked. Death seems like a curse in this game but its actually a mechanic to give you combat practice while getting your familiar with the environment. And once you unlock shortcuts you will find that death is not that bad. And a great tip which was given to me in this thread is to know when to stop exploring and go back to Hunter's Dream to spend echoes on upgrades.
I hope you stick with it and the game clicks with you like it did with me. This is not Nioh, you won't be performing high string combos. This game's combat centers on getting one or two hits in and then dodging out of the way. It will take some time to get to know how certain enemies attack and it will take some time to know what weapons/attacks stagger enemies to allow for more hits before you have to back away. And remember stamina management is very important. Also, don't forget about you firearm to stagger enemies to deal even more damage.