Wind Stance

**Wind Stance** is the third stance that becomes available to Jin Sakai in *Ghost of Tsushima*, attained after Jin observes and/or kills Mongol Leaders eight times (see acquisition below for more details). A sweeping stance of whirls and kicks, it specializes in high mobility to avoid the jabs of a spear and reach opponents who are a bit afar, especially when Jin has kicked them with his held Heavy Attack.

This stance is effective against all polearm-wielding enemies, particularly spearmen such as Mongolian or Bandit Spearmen, who will thrust with their weapon from a distance.

## Acquisition

Wind Stance becomes available to the player after observing and/or killing Mongol Leaders, located at camps marked as Mongol territory, five (5) times after attaining Water Stance, for a total of eight (8) times.

Observing counts separate from killing; observe a Leader by approaching nearby them without being detected, and once there is line of sight, press  when prompted. As a result, it is possible to get the Stance with only four (4) Mongol Leaders, and shouldn't take anymore than killing eight Mongol Leaders total to attain Wind Stance.

The player can switch to Wind Stance by holding  then pressing .

## Basic Moveset

During Wind Stance, Jin will hold his katana with one hand, arm reaching back as the katana is pointed straight out to his right.

The Wind Stance's Heavy Attack chain, **Spearbreaker**, consists of two acrobatic leaps performed with a strike at the end of each, with the third strike being a kick that knocks enemies back.

The Wind Stance's held Heavy Attack, **Typhoon Kick**, involves Jin taking a low stance to reel in for a kick. When attempting a kick, Jin will shuffle close to his target to close the distance to guarantee the kick, knocking them back just like the third strike of Spearbreaker if it lands. The kick is flexible in that it can also be used on non-spearmen to break their guard. Paired with his Heavy Attack chain's mobility, he can reliably reach enemies who try to keep some distance from him.

## Upgrades

Upgrades to Wind Stance focus on improving Typhoon Kick to be more effective, together with allowing Jin to counter spearmen simply by remaining on the offensive.

### Strengthened Typhoon Kick

Strengthened Typhoon Kick improves Typhoon Kick to knock enemies further back while dealing increased Stagger damage. With more distance made, the player has more opportunity to remain on the offensive.

Strengthened Typhoon Kick requires 1 Technique point.

### Strength of Gales

Strength of Gales increases how much Stagger damage Jin deals to spearmen with any of the Wind Stance's Heavy Attack moves.

Strength of Gales requires 1 Technique point and Strengthened Typhoon Kick.

### Spear Defense

Spear Defense allows the player to automatically parry spear attacks if they are attacked during any Wind Stance attack. When this occurs, Jin will stop attacking to perform the parry, which can instantly lead into a counter attack. As a result, players can remain on the offensive when dealing with spearmen, letting Spear Defense act as a safeguard if a Spearman tries to attack him mid-attack.

Spear Defense requires 1 Technique point and the previous abilities to be unlocked.

### Typhoon Kick Finisher

Typhoon Kick Finisher improves Typhoon Kick once more, causing enemies kicked by it to be knocked down. Knocked down enemies are vulnerable to being mercy killed, making this a reliable way to take down single enemies that are not Brutes (Brutes are resistant to damage flinching and knock backs from non-Moon Stance moves).

Typhoon Kick Finisher requires 1 Technique point and the previous abilities to be unlocked.

## Trivia

* The stance that Jin assumes during Wind Stance may be based off of the Waki-gamae (脇構え; lit. "Side of body stance"), which holds the blade's handle near the thigh while the blade points downwards towards the back. However, in Jin's case, he holds the katana with one hand and has the blade pointing out to the side.
* Each of the four main stance symbols are meant to represent the button they are mapped to.
	+ The Wind Stance is mapped to the  button, and is represented by the triangular heads of various spears.