Stance is a skill in Dark Souls III.
In-Game Description
- While in stance, use normal attacks to break a foe's guard from below, and strong attack to slash upwards with a forward lunge.
Description
Skill commonly seen in straight swords and some greatswords. The player holds their weapon with both hands at shoulder level and points it toward their target, then approaches slowly and culminates with either a powerful upward slash, capable of breaking most guards, or a heavy thrust.
Usage
Hold the weapon with both hands, or a shield with Weapon Skill, and press and hold the Left Strong Attack button (
/ 
) to take the stance. Approach the enemy and press either the Right Weak Attack button (
/ 
) or the Right Strong Attack button (
/ 
) to unleash the upward slash or heavy thrust attack, respectively.
Campaign
This skill proves useful to deal with enemies with medium poise, breaking their guard or simply to inflict more damage. Notably, the guard breaking swing deals considerably more stamina damage than a normal kick, while having more reach and being faster. This makes it an optimal tool against enemies that rely on their shield, such as spear-wielding Lothric Knights.
Online gameplay
Although useful for breaking an opponent's guard, or counterattacking, the user must keep a close eye on the stamina bar to avoid being counterattacked with no means to defend themselves.
Weapons
Straight Swords
- Anri's Straight Sword
- Astora Straight Sword
- Barbed Straight Sword
- Broadsword
- Broken Straight Sword
- Irithyll Straight Sword
- Long Sword
- Lothric Knight Sword
- Morion Blade
- Shortsword