Stamina cost for dodging is based on movement speed penalty from equipment. There are some light armor sets in the game, but no late-game "skirmisher" type of set currently. Many times you can simply avoid being hit by walking away unless you are wearing heavy armor and carrying heavy weapons. However, the Fenris armor set is pretty solid choice, even in mistlands, if you keep your wits about you. Using light armor also won't exclude you from using a shield, but if you never train your blocking skill even a little bit through the game, it likely won't serve as a useful backup defensive measure.

Some weapons (mostly two-handed) like atgeirs and large axes have secondary attacks or other means of staggering enemies. Some weapons can also have high knockback attributes or deal frost damage which slows down movement (but not attacks) of enemies, making them easier to read and avoid.

Combining all aspects of defense – blocking, dodging, and attacking pre-emptively with staggering blows (or sneak attacks) – tends to yield best results, in my experience. The latter two are of course not available on bosses, but some of them summon adds so you should be familiar with their staggering limits and other things regardless.

Spellcasting in late game will open up further opportunities while reducing potential of the traditional ones due to how it works with the food system.