Stance Guide
What are Stances?
Stances are sword fighting forms that Jin can actively switch in battle to gain the upper hand against different enemies. It is important to be familiar to each of the stances and their unique moves to adapt to a variety of encounters in the game.
You can switch stances by holding the ? button and pressing any of the face buttons with an assigned stance. Stances are unlocked by killing a certain number of Mongol leaders during main quests (Jin’s Journey) or side quests (Tales of Tsushima).
You can always check what stance you are in by looking at the lower right corner of the screen.
Trophies
| Trophy | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Quick Study |
Learn Stone, Water, Wind, and Moon stances. |
| Haunting Precision |
Kill 20 enemies with Ghost Stance strikes. |
Stance List
There are five stances that Jin Sakai can learn in the game. These are the following:
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Stance | Style that focuses on strong two-handed strikes. Good against sword-wielding enemies. | Unlocked automatically. |
| Water Stance | Style that focuses on quick one-handed strikes. Good against enemies with shields. | Kill 3 Mongol leaders. |
| Wind Stance | Style that is both one-handed and two-handed but the strikes comes from the bottom. Good against enemies with spears. | Kill 8 Mongol leaders. |
| Moon Stance | Style that is both one-handed and two-handed but the strikes comes from above. Good against enemies who are brutes. | Kill 12 Mongol leaders. |
| Ghost Stance | Unique style that allows you to instantly kill non-boss enemies with a single strike. | Automatically unlocked during The Ghost of Yarikawa (main story). |
Stone Stance
The Stone Stance is a two-handed stance that focuses on delivering wide slashes which are very effective when enemies are lined up.
Special Techniques
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Puncture | Batter your foe with two piercing strikes. | Consume 1 technique point and learn basic Stone Stance. |
| Strength of Mountains | Increase Stagger damage against Swordsmen from all Stone Stance attacks. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Puncture. |
| Full Puncture | Deliver three piercing strikes. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Strength of Mountains. |
| Momentum | Perform Stone Stance heavy attacks with ferocious speed. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Full Puncture. |
Water Stance
The Water Stance is a one-handed that stance that allows Jin to perform swift strikes and is good for interrupting enemies as they wind up an attack and against enemies with shields.
Special Techniques
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Flowing Strikes | Unleash a torrent of four rapid strikes | Consume 1 technique point and learn basic Water Stance. |
| Strength of Tides | Increase Stagger damage against Shieldmen from all Water Stance attacks. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Flowing Strikes. |
| Surging Strikes | Drown your foe with a flood of rapid strikes | Consume 1 technique point and learn Strength of Tides. |
| Downpour | Inflict increasing damage with each attack in your Flurry Strike | Consume 1 technique point and learn Surging Strikes. |
Wind Stance
Wind Stance is mixed one-handed and two-handed stance but it integrates striking from the bottom and making use of kicks in battle. This stance is effective against Spearmen enemies.
Special Techniques
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Strengthened Typhoon Kick | Typhoon Kick launch your enemy father back and deal extra Stagger damage. | Consume 1 technique point and learn basic Wind Stance. |
| Strength of Gales | Increase Stagger damage against Spearmen from all Wind Stance attacks. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Strengthened Typhoon Kick |
| Spear Defense | Automatically Parry spear attacks during any Wind Stance attack. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Strength of Gales |
| Typhoon Kick Finisher | Enemies thrown by a Typhoon Kick area knocked down. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Spear Defense |
Moon Stance
Moon Stance is also mixed one-handed and two-handed stance but it integrates striking from the the top instead and making use of kicks in battle. This stance is effective against Brute enemies.
Special Techniques
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Whirlwind | Assail your foes with two fast spinning strikes. | Consume 1 technique point and learn basic Moon Stance. |
| Strength of the Heavens | Increase Stagger damage against Brutes from all Moon Stance attacks. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Whirlwind. |
| Finishing Strike | The third Moon Stance heavy attack deals extra Melee damage and Stagger damage. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Finishing Strike. |
| Tornado | Three fast spinning strikes. | Consume 1 technique point and learn Tornado. |
Ghost Stance
The Ghost Stance is a special stance that can only be activated upon killing 7 regular enemies in a row without taking damage or by performing a “slaughter” on a Mongol leader.
When successful, the Ghost stance meter on the lower right corner of the screen will be fully charged. The kill counter will reset of you are hit so be mindful of incoming attacks as much as possible.
Special Techniques
| Stance | Details | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost Stance | Approach enemy leaders while in stealth to Slaughter them and enter the Ghost Stance. Once in Ghost Stance, you can kill up to 3 enemies with deadly strikes. | Learned automatically. |
| Ghost Kill Streak | Strike fear into your enemies so they believe you’re more than human. Kill enemies without taking damage to enter Ghost Stance | Learned automatically. |
Ghost Weapons and Evolution Tactics
Other Guides
Ghost of Tsushima Recommended Article List
| ▼Ghost of Tsushima Recommended Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| News and Features | Walkthroughs | Bosses |
| Characters | Strategy Guides | Game Database |
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