So there you were, getting into Thymesia. A bird boy traveling up the Sea of Trees, when suddenly- Odur. No matter what you do, you can't seem to beat him. Fear not friend, you can do it. Odur is a learning experience in fighting, and there are talents that can help. So lets start:

At the rest before you begin your fight with Odur, you are going to want to ensure you have these talents:

• 1 point into long dash
  
• Lv2 reckless deflect.
  
• Lv2 saber for 5 hit combo
  
• Lv1 short range claw

So, as to why you need these.
Long dash is great for cutting the distance between you and Odur when he disappears and reappears. It can also be used to dodge his cards as well when you rush toward him. The move can also be used to dodge his 3 attack combo that he often opens with but I don't advise it. You will need to dodge backwards twice to avoid it, otherwise it will not cover enough distance. You can also use this move to dodge his 2 hit sword attack. Likewise, you can use this to get away from him so his alt doesn't rob you of 190 hp.

Out of the box, deflecting is hard. Maybe its not for a pro, but it was for me. This skill will actually make it usable, as it will not require you to have perfect timing- just good enough timing. Use it well and you can basically defend against anything Odur throws at you in phase 1 and 2. Well, everything besides his ult.

Pretty basic skill. Just makes you go from a 3 hit combo to a 5 hit combo. This will help you keep dealing as many wounds you can during the fight, and keep the momentum up. When you have a window, you can usually get around 5-8 hits to rapidly build up wounds.

I cannot stress the importance of this ability. The saber will amass the wounds, this claw attack will help you then shred those wounds rapidly so you can take chunks out of Odur's health.

From there you can get whatever talents you want. These are the primary, however that you are going to want for your fight with Odur. I went with the additional saber damage and luck, but these aren't really required. The above four are merely the essentials.
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With regard to Potion, just make sure you have 4.

With regards to plague weapons- I really didn't use mine that much in this fight. Hit him with the hammer twice, but I really don't think its that big of a deal. I'm sure someone in the comments will prove me wrong. Bottom line, there are many ways to skin a cat. The previously listed things are what I consider essential, from here its up to you.

Alright you have the Talents- it's time to rock and roll.
Step 1. lock onto him. This is minor but important, as you are going to want to stay close to him as much as you can, and this will keep you on him.

Now before we go any further, perhaps the most important piece of advice. Don't over-commit to a combo and pay attention to Odur. Odur is very punishing for the impatient player. You can't just brute force him and think your attacks are going to justify taking heavy amounts of damage. You MUST deflect and dodge when appropriate.

Step 2. I usually would dash to him and get a hit in and then immediately be prepared to deflect 3 times, as he generally opens with that combo. You might be able to dodge twice backwards to dodge this move, but I sincerely advise deflecting. You often can't cover the distance to avoid the last hit which does the most damage.

Step 3. From here it is a pattern. When you are not deflecting, you should be able to get a 5-8 hit combo in with the saber. If Odur has not countered or disappeared after these hits, tap away with the short range claw attack until you finish the combo. Often he will stagger so you can complete it. However, if he begins to counter during the claws or earlier, stop and deflect. Sometimes you might also want to skip the sword combo and just use the claws if your combo has been interrupted many times (this will ensure his wounds don't go to waste, but sometimes the attack does not stagger him alone so be careful). Once again I cannot stress the importance of the claw attack. This is basically where all the real damage happens. Keep repeating this and stay close. However, if Odur gets far from you, he might start throwing cards of light. You can do 2 things. Often just running to the right or left will cause him to miss. You can also dash forward to him. If you do this, you will often dash past the first card, but the second card you will need to dodge again or deflect as soon as you are right in front of him. Also make sure to hit him with feathers when he gets far. He will often start to heal, and feathers will keep his wounds from doing so.

Ideally this phase will only take you 2 or less of your 4 potions.

Much the same as phase 1.
Step 1. Lock onto him as soon as he reappears.

From there, do the same as before, but be prepared to deflect a lot more. Odur is a lot more aggressive in this phase and deals more hits. His card throws also releases more cards. You can again dash through these, however.

Step 2. As soon as you see him flash red, release your lock and dash away. You don't need to get too far, but often the lock kept me too close him, and you don't want to say good bye to 190 hp- might just be the death of you. Also once he finishes his ult wait. There is a burst of air that he releases after that does quite a bit of damage

That about does it. Hopefully this helps. Odur is tough but far from unbeatable. Gonna be honest- I've never touched a souls title, and I got wrecked by the swordsman in the graveyard many times before I began to learn. If I can do it, you can do it, and honestly, I think Odur will make you a better player by the time you defeat him. if you have your own advice, or I got something wrong, feel free to say so in the comments. Thanks for reading.