my first solo try was a street fighter/kind wayfarer, it was pretty tanky but I did struggle on high AR targets even with the help of potions, not impossible but also kind of boring so I wondered if I can make use of things like borrowed instinct, body attunement and hammering thoughts, then compensate the lack of sustainability with potions and scrolls.
I eventually went with trickster soul blade though, animal companion was more of a liability when I actually tried it.