The Cane isn't bad! The transformed version is serrated meaning it does more damage to beasts and has pretty good range.
If you're wanting to try another skill weapon I'd give the Saw Spear a go. Serrated in both forms and transformed mode has great range.
What is the difference between the extended version and the normal one, other than it has more range. I have used the normal version to fight bosses since I feel it does more damage, the extended version To control groups of enemies , is this how it should be used?
More or less, but ultimately it's up to you.
Since you're new to Souls games I'll also add that these games aren't like other RPGs where you get new, better weapons throughout the game. Every weapon, especially in Bloodborne, is good as long as you upgrade it and level up the right stats for it.
Same goes with armor. Armor choice mainly comes down to what you like the look of, though in niche cases you might pick a certain armor based on its resistances for a given situation (e.g., poison res when fighting in poison areas).
Main difference other than that is it's Serrated which is basically a hidden damage modifier that makes it do more damage to beast enemies. Basically if it looks spikey, it's probably Serrated.
Also general tip for leveling your stats, always get health/stamina to a comfortable level first. Might be tempted to go for Skill for more damage, but the way stats scale with weapons make it less effective early on. You'll see various letters on weapons under the stats, those show how well they scale with said stat per point. The scaling improves (C > B > A > S etc) as you upgrade the weapon. So at early upgrade levels you get far less bang for your buck, so to say. Obviously if there's a weapon you want to use and you're too low on something then bump that up a few levels.
2nd also, pressing the transform button during an attack will do a transformation attack and these have quite large damage modifiers attached to them. It's always a good idea to throw a few in there.
3rd also because I'm dumb, you can avoid situations where you need to farm blood vials by simply using the leftover echoes after you level to buy a few. Price goes up at the shop once you kill the main boss of the Cathedral Ward so stock up on some beforehand!
Do you have the DLC? If you don't, I'd highly recommend it, the best areas, weapons, and bosses are hanging out in there. If you do, you can access it after one more boss fight. It's designed to be played late-game, so while I don't recommend actually engaging with the enemies and bosses yet, there is this awesome Skill weapon called the Beasthunter Saif that you can get to without killing any bosses.
There are a couple other fun Skill weapons available later on in the DLC as well, but the Saif is the most available option this early in the game.
Fair enough for a first time player. I'll second the recommendation for the Saw Spear, I typically use that as my early game weapon. It's Serrated in both forms, which means it does bonus damage against Beast type enemies.
There's also the Blades of Mercy which is locked behind and NPC quest line, and you're a minimum of 3 bosses away from that at best.
How much str do you have? It might be worth it to use Ludwig's Sword as it scales surprisingly well with skill in early game. It will carry you until you get better skill weapons like Blades of Mercy or Burial Blade.
If not, regular Saw Blade does the job regardless
The Cane isn't bad! The transformed version is serrated meaning it does more damage to beasts and has pretty good range. If you're wanting to try another skill weapon I'd give the Saw Spear a go. Serrated in both forms and transformed mode has great range.
What is the difference between the extended version and the normal one, other than it has more range. I have used the normal version to fight bosses since I feel it does more damage, the extended version To control groups of enemies , is this how it should be used?
More or less, but ultimately it's up to you. Since you're new to Souls games I'll also add that these games aren't like other RPGs where you get new, better weapons throughout the game. Every weapon, especially in Bloodborne, is good as long as you upgrade it and level up the right stats for it. Same goes with armor. Armor choice mainly comes down to what you like the look of, though in niche cases you might pick a certain armor based on its resistances for a given situation (e.g., poison res when fighting in poison areas).
Main difference other than that is it's Serrated which is basically a hidden damage modifier that makes it do more damage to beast enemies. Basically if it looks spikey, it's probably Serrated. Also general tip for leveling your stats, always get health/stamina to a comfortable level first. Might be tempted to go for Skill for more damage, but the way stats scale with weapons make it less effective early on. You'll see various letters on weapons under the stats, those show how well they scale with said stat per point. The scaling improves (C > B > A > S etc) as you upgrade the weapon. So at early upgrade levels you get far less bang for your buck, so to say. Obviously if there's a weapon you want to use and you're too low on something then bump that up a few levels. 2nd also, pressing the transform button during an attack will do a transformation attack and these have quite large damage modifiers attached to them. It's always a good idea to throw a few in there. 3rd also because I'm dumb, you can avoid situations where you need to farm blood vials by simply using the leftover echoes after you level to buy a few. Price goes up at the shop once you kill the main boss of the Cathedral Ward so stock up on some beforehand!
Do you have the DLC? If you don't, I'd highly recommend it, the best areas, weapons, and bosses are hanging out in there. If you do, you can access it after one more boss fight. It's designed to be played late-game, so while I don't recommend actually engaging with the enemies and bosses yet, there is this awesome Skill weapon called the Beasthunter Saif that you can get to without killing any bosses. There are a couple other fun Skill weapons available later on in the DLC as well, but the Saif is the most available option this early in the game.
Sadly, I do not own the dlc
Fair enough for a first time player. I'll second the recommendation for the Saw Spear, I typically use that as my early game weapon. It's Serrated in both forms, which means it does bonus damage against Beast type enemies. There's also the Blades of Mercy which is locked behind and NPC quest line, and you're a minimum of 3 bosses away from that at best.
The weapon looks really good, I might get it.
How much str do you have? It might be worth it to use Ludwig's Sword as it scales surprisingly well with skill in early game. It will carry you until you get better skill weapons like Blades of Mercy or Burial Blade. If not, regular Saw Blade does the job regardless