I haven’t played AC6 yet but the fact that you’re bothered by unreactable damage makes me think you’re playing this like Souls. But it’s not Souls, it’s a shooter. Be preemptive? Make your own movement pattern hard to follow.
A very glorified DPS race is more or less what a duel is in a shooter.
You may be thinking of the fact that it was founded by a married couple, Ken and Roberta Williams, with the latter being among the first prominent female game designers.