Jekki: You can only summon blue spirits in body form though. If you are in soul form (as I spent the majority of my first playthrough in by suiciding in the nexus) you can't summon helpers. You can however join another game as a spirit and help them (never done this myself).
Stat wise, as j-cart said, try looking up online what weapons you want to end up with and aim for their minimum stats. Do you plan on using a bow, sword/board (my preferred style), two handed sword, magic? Keep pumping stats into Vitality and Endurance but I think endurance stops raising your stamina at 30 or 40 so you can stop once that happens. Dexterity is a requirement for a lot of bows and some other weapons, and strength is necessary for heavy armors and weapons. Conversely to most games, I've heard that a low luck is more helpful for getting the rare materials, as luck increases the chances of an enemy drop, but also makes it more likely you'll get a common drop when it happens.