Once you actually get the hang of the 4 stances in Ghost of Tsushima, combat stops feeling like frantic button-mashing and starts feeling a lot more deliberate and satisfying — especially when you’re landing perfect parries consistently. Each stance lines up with specific enemy weapons (swords, shields, spears, or those heavy brutes), so switching to the right one at the right time lets you keep the pressure on and creates those clean openings for crisp counters.
From this guide, you’ll learn how each stance works, the exact techniques worth unlocking first, and much more. If you’re planning to start fresh, you can grab a Ghost of Tsushima Steam key from Lootbar at discounted prices.
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Unlocking and Switching the 4 Stances
You begin with Stone Stance. The other three unlock as you observe or defeat Mongol leaders in camps and strongholds. Observing from stealth gives you technique points toward the stance; killing the leader gives even more. It’s worth doing this early because each new stance immediately changes how fights feel.
Switching is straightforward on PlayStation: hold R2 and press the matching face button—X for Stone, Circle for Water, Triangle for Wind, Square for Moon. The game briefly highlights the choice so you can react mid-fight.
On PC, the controls are more flexible (often direct keys or a radial menu), but the principle stays the same. I got into the habit of switching the instant I spotted a new enemy type entering the fight. It becomes second nature after a few hours.
Stone Stance Guide in Ghost of Tsushima
Stone Stance is your bread-and-butter against swordsmen, and a lot of story duels fall into this category. Heavy attacks (Triangle) already deal extra stagger damage here, so you break enemy posture faster than in other stances. That means fewer enemy attacks to worry about and more chances to set up your own perfect parries.
Key techniques worth unlocking early:
- Puncture — Two quick piercing strikes after a heavy. Excellent for punishing a staggered foe.
- Strength of Mountains — Further increases stagger against swordsmen.
- Full Puncture and Momentum — Longer piercing chains and faster heavy attacks.
In practice, I use Stone for most one-on-one fights because the heavy chains flow naturally into a perfect parry follow-up. After you land a perfect parry and the enemy staggers, switch to Stone (if you’re not already there) and unload the puncture combo. It melts posture and often ends the fight before they recover.
Water Stance: Dealing with Shields
Shields can feel annoying until you get Water Stance. This stance lets you flow around the shield with rapid strikes and has strong heavy attack damage against shield-bearers. The goal is to break their guard quickly so they can’t keep hiding behind it and poking you.
Core techniques:
- Flowing Strikes — Four rapid hits. Great for chipping away while staying mobile.
- Strength of Tides — Extra stagger specifically versus shields.
- Surging Strikes and Downpour — Even longer flurries with increasing damage.
What I noticed after unlocking Water is that fights against mixed groups became smoother. I’d perfect parry the swordsman first (usually in Stone), then quickly switch to Water when the shield guy stepped up. The rapid strikes keep pressure high, which in turn creates safer moments for the next perfect parry because the enemy is constantly reacting instead of attacking freely.
Wind Stance: The Game-Changer for Perfect Parries Against Spears
Wind Stance is where things get really interesting for parry-focused players. It’s tuned for spearmen, and the standout upgrade is Spear Defense—automatically parry incoming spear attacks while you’re attacking in Wind Stance. Once you reach that point in the tree, you can stay aggressive without constantly backing off to time manual parries.
Supporting techniques:
- Strengthened Typhoon Kick — Launches enemies farther with extra stagger.
- Strength of Gales — More stagger versus spearmen overall.
- Typhoon Kick Finisher — Knocks launched enemies down for easy follow-ups.
In my playthroughs, Wind Stance completely changed how I handled spear threats in larger battles. I could keep swinging, auto-parry their pokes, and still have the mental bandwidth to time perfect parries on other nearby enemies. It also pairs beautifully after a perfect parry on a different target—switch to Wind, land the kick or heavy chain, and the auto-parry keeps you safe while you finish the spearman.
Moon Stance: Handling Brutes and Heavy Armor
Big, heavily armored brutes can tank a lot of hits and punish slow play. Moon Stance gives you spinning strikes that deal extra stagger against these tanky enemies. The heavy attack chains feel weighty and satisfying once upgraded.
Key unlocks:
- Whirlwind — Two fast-spinning strikes.
- Strength of the Heavens — Increased stagger versus brutes.
- Finishing Strike — The third heavy in a chain hits harder.
- Tornado — Three spinning strikes for maximum pressure.
I tend to save Moon for when a brute is the main threat or when I’ve already perfect parried a smaller enemy and need to delete the big guy quickly. The spinning attacks chew through posture, and because you’re staggering them faster, you spend less time on the defensive and more time dictating the fight.
Recommended Upgrades and Supporting Systems
Fully upgrade the stance trees you use most. The auto-parry from Wind and the extra stagger from Stone and Moon are worth the points. On the deflection side, grab Perfect Healing Parry and Resolved Parry early for sustain during long fights. Charms that widen the parry window or give resolve on perfect parries are excellent quality-of-life picks, too.
Practice in story duels first—they’re usually clean one-on-one scenarios that let you focus purely on timing and stance choice without adds ruining the lesson.
Final Thoughts
Once the 4 Ghost of Tsushima stances click and you start weaving them into your perfect parry timing, combat stops feeling reactive and starts feeling like you’re actually controlling the fight. Every enemy type has a clear answer, and switching between them keeps the game fresh even on repeat playthroughs or greater difficulties.
After these systems click, every fight in Ghost of Tsushima becomes more engaging and less frustrating. If you're picking up the game or the Director's Cut to put this into practice, you can get your hands on a Ghost of Tsushima Steam Key at much lower prices than with other options.
