In GoT there is an option of using 4 different stances to defeat your enemy and create your own unique playstyle while traveling the map as Jin Sakai.
But many have wondered which stance is the best.
Well, I have played this game for over 100+ hours so I'm going to give you the answer to this question.
Firstly let's go over what stances are in the game, stances are fighting styles that the player can equip to defeat the Mongols who’ve come to take over your homeland.
There are four different stances: Moon, Water, Stone, and Wind each is unlocked as one progresses through the story and each has different upgrade abilities giving each one an advantage in battle.
1. Stone Stance
The first Stance that the player starts with is the stone stance. This is the most basic and most all-around stance for the user and one that they’ll most likely find themselves in for most of the early game.
This stance is extremely effective against swordsmen in the game, this stance consists of two moves the first is Puncture which attacks foes' with diagonal slashes, and fierce stabbing attacks this is very effective for dealing consecutive damage on your Mongol of choice. The second is Full Puncture which is the same as the first move except it deals an additional attack to finish off the enemy if the first ones didn't.
Along with the ability of this stance, Strength of Mountains deals additional stagger damage depending on how upgraded the stance is. Additionally, this stances heavy combo also deals a considerable amount of damage and is deadly to staggered enemies. However this stance is only effective against swordsmen, how often do your enemies only use one type of weapon so this stance loses its effectiveness rather quickly after you reach a certain spot in the story.
Stance Details:
- First Stance acquired after the mongols invade
- Extremely effective against all types of swordsman
- Swordbreaker is one of the quickest in the game
Choose this stance if:
- Enemy uses a sword
- Player wants to deal quick consecutive hits
- Enemy is weak to stabbing attacks
- Player wants to deal decent stagger damage
- Player wants to kill enemies quickly
2. Water Stance
The second stance Jin Sakai gains in his story is the Water stance. This stance is obtained by either observing or killing 3 Mongol leaders. This stance is effective against any Mongol that wields a shield. This is extremely useful as plenty of enemies use a shield throughout the game, allowing its effectiveness to be utilized throughout the entire game.
This stance uses two moves. The first is Flowing Strikes, which unleashes a series of swift, fast attacks that overwhelm the shieldbearer, eventually causing it to break and stagger the enemy, allowing the player to unleash a full assault to defeat the Mongols.
The second move is Surging Strikes, which is the same as the first move but adds a strike that deals a great deal of stagger damage. The Ability of this stance is Strength of Tides the Higher this stance is upgraded the more stagger damage that is dealt.
Stance Details:
- Second stance acquired in-game
- Effective against shield-bearing enemies
- Flowing Strikes allow one to break down enemies' defense quickly
Choose this stance if:
- Enemy uses a shield
- Player wants faster attacks
- Player wants to overwhelm opponents completely
- Deal decent stagger damage
- Player wants to deal good overall physical damage
3. Wind Stance
The third Stance is the Wind stance which is obtained after killing or observing 8 Mongol leaders this stance is effective against any Mongol with a polearm weapon. This stance focuses on high mobility while utilizing kicks and swift movements to negate the reach advantage that a spear has against a katana and it also allows one to move and avoid the quick piercing attacks that are coming your way.
In this stance, kicks are used to stagger the enemy and deal quick consecutive hits not allowing the spearman to counterattack. This stance only has one move, Typhoon Kick which knocks enemies back dealing stagger damage.
The ability is strength of gales which increases stagger damage depending on how upgraded the stance is. This stance is also very good for late-game enemies since the number of spearmen increases during that time.
Stance Details:
- Third Stance acquired in-game
- Effective against polearm enemies
- Typhoon kick is a great way to create distance as well as stagger enemies
Choose this stance if:
- Enemy uses a Polearm
- You like sending enemies flying
- Deal Considerable stagger damage
- Player wants higher mobility
- Player wants to close distance quickly
4. Moon Stance
The fourth and final stance is the Moon stance which is acquired after killing or observing 15 Mongol leaders. This stance is effective against the Mongolian brutes. These brutes use a large variety of weapons, so this stance is very useful since it works on any type of brute. Like the wind stance, this stance utilizes a series of kicks while also using spinning slashes to gain momentum and deal damage as long as stagger damage.
The moon stance is the only stance that doesn't work well against other enemies; it is very specific to brutes. However, even though that's true when used properly, it deals serious physical damage and can break down brutes quicker than any other stance, especially with the tornado technique.
In this stance, Jin holds the katana to deal additional damage the main moves are the strength of the heavens which deals additional stagger damage depending on how upgraded the stance is. The second move is Tornado which unleashes a whirlwind of slashes to deal heavy damage.
Stance Details:
- Last stance acquired in game
- Effective against all brutes
- Tornado deals some of the highest damage in the game
Choose this stance if:
- Enemy is Mongol Brute
- Player wants to use overwhelming strength to win
- Deal High stagger damage
- Player values strength over speed
- Player likes spinning attacks to kill enemies
But even after knowing all this the question still stands which Stance is the best?
So which stance is the best? The answer is that they are all equal and it completely depends on the enemy and the weapon that the player is up against. Since no one stance can defeat every enemy the game forces the player to switch to whichever one gives them the advantage. This is what I enjoy the most about this game it’s not just mindless button mashing it requires a bit of thought as well.
