Is high poise mandatory for pvp?

Question is in the title, my first pvp build currently fast rolls with like 22 poise. I've been reading and been told that I should build my poise up to like 53 or 76. Can't I just improve parry and dodge instead of stacking on heaps of armor and mid/fat rolling? I don't want to waste a ring slot on something like havels/wolf when I could have bellowing ring or hornet/leo. Any other low poise pvpers in DkS?

Poise is mandatory. What poise does is help you get into pvp. It stops you getting stunlocked easily, meaning a single mistake wont cost you your life. Many good pvpers roll with 0 poise though, and win most of their matches. Its all about experience.
Also poise can help when you have bad lag, to stop you randomly getting stunlocked due to a laggy hit.

i think it is... i have been playing arena lately and any opponent with low poise/no poise i eat alive.... ones with no poise i often do not die at all against but will kill maybe 6 times in a duel.... i always keep a piece of thorn armour one....running great scythe....brutality ensues...

Poise is not mandatory. It helps but I can invade and be just as effective without it.

Its nice to have at least 21 poise though if possible.

The build I have is 22 poise. I'm thinking that I can just dodge or parry the slower swinging heavy weapons and poise through smaller weapons.

Then that is good. run whatever you feel is right. If you like to move fast and dodge then go poise low....if you tank and use slower weapons then maybe high poise and heavy armour is for you.

40 is the max I have ever needed.....ala Wolf Ring.

The slower your weapon, the more poise you need. Personally, I use 40 poise (although 43 is nice to be able to tanke 2 kat hits), wolf's ring. This allows me to swap rings (RTSR for Wolf's) in the middle of a fight. Then, base your armor on looks and/or defense.

0 poise is very doable with a little practice, but you have to totally change your playstyle and with too slow weapons it's just usually a suicide.

Nothing is mandatory. But it sure helps.

if you get staggered by a bow it will be very very hard to ever win.

My build uses katanas and rapiers so I don't think weapon speed will be a problem.

Those weapons do just fine with no poise. I wouldn't worry about it too much. But, if you can get poise in, you would be better off.

be wary of curved sword users that know how to dead angle... i think a twohanded straight sword could stunlock you with 22 poise and a mace definately could, how are your parry timings on those?

I really don't like mid/fat rolling so all my builds have 20ish poise(since the patch). On my pyro build it works well cause I usually keep some distance. On my melee builds its pretty rough sometimes. There are times when I get caught by some phantom swing and get stunlocked. Which sucks but oh well its a risk I take.

Anyone know the amount of poise you need to tank a 2h swing from 1h sword like katanas and that damned gold tracer? I forgot.

I'm fairly new to the pvp side so my parries aren't quite there yet, but I plan to improve.

Go play demons souls solidly for like 3 weeks then come back, you wont need poise at all! *highfive*

I don't really need poise anymore, it's just nice to have 21 minimum so you don't get stunlocked by 1h spears, kats, and straight swords. 31 is a good one to shoot for too, but 0 is very viable if you're good.

In my experince you dont need very much poise

Also in my experience it doesnt matter how much poise your opponent has if you hit them with Grant, After using the Dragon torso roar, WITH POWER WITHIN ACTIVE!!!!!!
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

To offset my noobness, my build went dex/pyro/faith, so I have access to WotG, so when I screw up, roll away quickly and pull out the talisman...I hear its frowned upon though in proper duels so I will probably limit spam to blowing invaders off cliffs.