Sucker Punch Production’s Ghost of Tsushima is a masterclass in combat systems. The game features the best swordplay in a game to date, and one of the key features are stances.
Jin Sakai can switch stances on the fly in Ghost of Tsushima. This makes it easier for him to take out certain types of enemies in the game. In total, there are four different stances to choose from. Here’s each one explained.
Stone Stance
The Stone Stance is available at the start of the game, and it’s Jin’s basic stance. It’s the perfect stance to use against swordsmen in the game. As this is the basic stance, there’s not much variety in terms of combos. One of the key features of this stance is that players can greatly increase their stagger effect through upgrades.
As the game progresses, players will find themselves rarely using the Stone Stance. This is because other stances work well against other swordsmen as well.
Water Stance
The Water Stance is perfect for shield-bearers. The stance features slow but heavy attacks that connect with one another. Aside from damaging shield-bearers easily, it’s also great for taking out swarms of the enemy as most of the attacks are at a sweeping motion.
If players can master this stance, they’ll be rewarded with heavier blows down the skill tree line.
Wind Stance
The Wind Stance is the fastest of all the stances at Jin’s disposal. It’s the perfect stance to use against the pesky spearmen in Ghost of Tsushima. It’s one of the best stances to master simply because, at the lower levels of the skill tree, players will be able to unlock auto-parry.
Moon Stance
Another quick stance in the game is the Moon Stance. It’s used for the heavy brutes. The Moon Stance is distinguished by its succession of quick kicks and slashes. It’s one of the harder stances in the game, but mastering it offers a big reward.
To unlock these stances, players will have to beat a certain amount of enemy leaders. They simply have to progress through the map, and they’ll unlock these as they go.
Ghost of Tsushima features one of the best combat systems in a game to date. The stances offer a unique take on the samurai genre, and it works perfectly well. Players should master these stances to take out the tougher challenges in the game.
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