Ghost of Tsushima Best Stance: Which To Choose

Updated:

08 Nov 2024

One of the most exciting parts of Ghost of Tsushima is its fluid and satisfying combat and the best part of its combat is the use of Sword stances throughout the game.

The Ghost of Tsushima provides players with four stances to choose from through their playthrough and each stance is tailored towards a particular type or class of enemy.

For example, the Stone Stance is perfect against Swordsmen, but against Shieldbearers, it’s just about as useful as fighting with a dry twig. With that in mind, we are going to be taking a look at the four stances in the ghost of Tsushima and I will also be highlighting which of the stances I believe is the best all-rounder for your gameplay.

So hang on to your katanas, cause it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

1. Stone Stance

The Stone Stance is great for fighting Swordsmen

This is the most popular stance in the game, mostly because it’s the first stance you unlock during your playthrough and as I mentioned earlier, it’s very effective against Swordsmen. Its charged attacks are great for staggering swordsmen and dealing moderate stagger damage on other enemy variants. One area in which the Stone stance excels, however, is the speed of its heavy attack which unleashes a flurry of thrusts and jabs on your opponent. Finally, the charged attack of the Stone stance packs quite the wallop and is a good way to end a fight.

Stone Stance Details:

It’s the game’s first stance and it focuses on mid-range combat style.
It’s a great stance to use against Swordsmen enemy types.
The Stone stance’s, swordbreaker, is one of the fastest of the four stances
Its piercing attack is also very powerful and rapidly closes the gap between you and your opponent.

Choose Stone Stance if:

If you are taking on Swordsmen then the Stone stance is the best way to go
It should also be used against Ronins, who are one of the game’s toughest enemy types
Slow moving enemies such as Brutes can also fall prey to this stance if you time your dodges and light attacks or piercing strikes perfectly.

2. Water Stance:

The Water Stance cuts through Shieldbearers like paper

The water stance is perfect for Shieldbearers, by pressing the triangle button three times in a role, you can use its devastating shield breaker which can tear an enemy shield apart in a matter of seconds. It’s a mid-range attack just like the Stone stance. It’s flurry of heavy attacks are difficult to defend for most enemies and have a wide range of impact, but the drawback to this stance is that it is slower than the Stone stance and your streak of heavy attacks can be easily interrupted by other Mongols looking to get a piece of the action.

Water Stance Details:

It’s the second stance you unlock in the game and it focuses on a mid-range combat style.
It’s a great stance to use against Shieldbearers.
Its heavy attacks deal immense stagger damage making it a good attack for most enemies
It’s heavy attacks are difficult to complete when surrounded by fast, relentless Mongols.

Choose Water Stance if:

If you’re going up against pesky shieldbearers then the water stance should be used for its powerful shieldbreaker.
It’s also great to use when you are only facing a handful of Mongols and you’re not surrounded

3. Wind Stance:

Master the Wind Stance to deal with those pesky Spearmen

The Wind Stance is the third stance you will unlock during your playthrough and its primary use is against Spearmen. This stance is ,arguably, the best stance to use in the game, not only because of its effectiveness against Spearmen but because of the damage its heavy attack deals to all the other enemy types in the game as well. Besides the spearbreaker attack, the Wind stance also allows Jin to perform the Typhoon kick on opponents when you hold down the Triangle button. This is a powerful kick which usually knocks most opponents off their feet, leaving them wide open for a quick kill with the square button. You can also use it to knock enemies off cliffs for instant kills. Furthermore, its also a great way to push the Mongol horde back when you are being overwhelmed and give you some breathing room. These and other attributes, in my opinion, makes the Wind stance the best overall stance in the game.

Wind Stance Details:

The Wind stance is the third stance you will unlock in your playthrough and it’s great at closing the gap between you and your enemies
The Wind stance comprises of the Spear breaker attack which is good for staggering and taking down Spearmen
Its charged attack is the Typhoon kick which is a powerful attack for crowd control
The Wind stance is the best for most enemy types in the game.
It’s not very effective against Brutes.

Choose the Wind Stance if:

If you are going up against Spear-users then this is the absolute best stance to use.
It’s also great for fights where you are outnumbered and you need to put some space between you and the enemy.
Also if you are fighting next to a cliff, the Typhoon kick is great for instantly killing your enemies.

4. Moon Stance:

The Moon Stance is the best stance to deal with Brutes.

If you are constantly getting bullied and picked on by the Brutes and Bosses of the game, then the Moon stance is the perfect payback to use. This stance is great for taking down Brutes. Its heavy strikes, which is activated by pressing ‘Triangle’ three times, does massive stagger damage, but it's the Moon stance’s powerful spinning strike that takes the cake. By holding the heavy attack button you can initiate a powerful 360 degree spin attack that can sweep away any brute. It is also great for crowd control, especially when you are being outnumbered. However the Spin attack is not as effective as the Typhoon kick in this respect and does not do a good job at interrupting incoming enemy attacks.

Moon Stance Details

It’s the fourth and final stance which you unlock in the game and it’s perfect against brutes
The charged attack is called spinning strike which is great for dealing with a group of enemies clustered together
The Spinning strike animation can be easily interrupted by enemy attack.

Choose the Moon Stance if: