Stance | Elden Ring Wiki

Stance Basics

In Elden Ring', every successful attack deals a hidden amount of Stance Damage in addition to normal damage. The amount of Stance Damage inflicted varies by attack and is not directly tied to the damage dealt. When an enemy accumulates enough Stance' Damage to exceed its Stance value, it becomes stance-broken (or staggered).

A stance-broken enemy is usually vulnerable to a Critical Hit, indicated by a glowing weak point where players can perform a powerful critical attack. Some enemies cannot be critically hit and instead enter a stagger animation, interrupting their actions and leaving them open to follow-up attacks.

Enemy Stance gradually recovers after a period of time without taking damage. While recovery times vary between enemies, Stance Damage is restored quickly once recovery begins. To consistently trigger Stance Breaks, players should maintain pressure with frequent attacks or use ranged options such as Throwing Daggers when enemies move out of reach.

Parrying is a separate mechanic that can also create opportunities for Critical Hits, but it does not deal Stance Damage. Likewise, breaking an enemy's Stance does not affect its parry counter, which means that Stance Breaks and Parries operate independently despite producing similar results.

Stance Damage From Skills

Skills that deal damage will also deal stance damage. Below are some skills that inflict particularly large amounts of stance damage:

• Nebula (Wing of Astel):
  • 13 per explosion; typically hits 3-4 times resulting in 39-52 stance damage
• Thundercloud Form:
  • 6 per tick inside cloud (ticks once uncharged, ticks 6 times fully charged)
  • 11 (final hit), 33 (final hit when charged)
  • Maximum of 17 stance damage uncharged, 69 stance damage fully charged
• Impaling Thrust:
  • 30 (w/ Straight Swords, Katanas, Twinblades, Spears, and Halberds)
  • 33 (w/ Greatswords, Heavy Thrusting Swords, and Great Spears)
• Square Off: 40 (heavy attack), 30 (light attack)
• Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker: 15 (initial roar), 20 (each successive slam)
• Giant Hunt: 30 (Twinblades, Spears, Halberds), 36 (Greatswords, Colossal Swords, Heavy Thrusting Swords, Great Spears)
• Carian Grandeur: 20, 30 (charged once), 45 (fully charged)
• Stamp (Upward Cut):
  • 30 (w/ Axes)
  • 33 (w/ Greatswords, Curved Greatswords, Heavy Thrusting Swords, and Greataxes)
  • 36 (w/ Flails, Colossal Weapons (non-Hammers), and Colossal Swords)
  • 39 (w/ Hammers)
  • 42 (w/ Great Hammers)
  • 45 (w/ Colossal Weapons (Hammers))
• Lion's Claw:
  • 30 (w/ Straight Swords, Curved Swords, Katanas, Twinblades, and Axes)
  • 33 (w/ Greatswords, Curved Greatswords, and Greataxes)
  • 36 (w/ Flails, Colossal Weapons (non-Hammers), and Colossal Swords)
  • 39 (w/ Hammers)
  • 42 (w/ Great Hammers)
  • 45 (w/ Colossal Weapons (Hammers))
• Unsheathe: 30 (heavy attack)
• Unblockable Blade: 30
• Troll's Roar: 40 (initial roar), 33-45 (follow-up, varies on weapon class)
  • 33 w/ Greatswords, Greataxes
  • 36 w/ Colossal Swords, Colossal Weapons (non-Hammers)
  • 42 w/ Great Hammers
  • 45 w/ Colossal Weapons (Hammers)

Since stance damage doesn't depend on your character's stats at all, and Skills don't have any stat requirements beyond those of the weapon they're attached to, they're one of the most effective ways to stance-break enemies.

Stance Damage in Melee

Heavier melee weapons usually inflict more stance damage, and different types of attacks with a given weapon deal different amounts of stance damage. The precise details vary from weapon to weapon (see below for a full table), but in general:

• Fully charged heavy attacks and guard counters deal the most stance damage.
• Jumping heavy attacks deal a very large amount of stance damage.
• Uncharged heavy attacks deal a large amount of stance damage.
• Light attacks deal the least stance damage.

Running attacks typically deal the same stance damage as their corresponding standing attack. However, the running heavy attacks on Greatswords, Great Spears, Greataxes, and Great Hammers will deal less stance damage than their standard heavy attack.

Stance Damage From Magic

Any spell that deals damage also inflicts stance damage, and some are particularly effective at it:

• The Flame of Frenzy: 56
• Dragonmaw: 45
• Aspects of the Crucible: Tail: 13 (first swing), 39 (second swing); 52 total
• Aspects of the Crucible: Horns: 17 (uncharged), 30 (charged)
• Dragonclaw: 30
• Rock Sling: ~10 per rock, 29 total
• Gavel of Haima: 23

Stance Modifiers

• Enemies who haven't noticed you take 20% more stance damage.
• Wielding a weapon with both hands generally increases stance damage by 30% for light attacks and 10% for heavy attacks and guard counters. This does not apply to skills.
  • The charged heavy attacks on the Duelist/Rotten Greataxe, Dragon Greatclaw, Axe of Godfrey, and Troll's Hammer do not benefit from two-handing. This is likely a bug, since guard counters do receive this bonus.
• Certain enemies have weak points that take extra stance damage. For example, Golems' ankles take double the amount of stance damage than other parts of its body do.
• Bosses take 40% less stance damage if you summon another player or an NPC. (Spirit Ashes don't impose a Stance penalty.)
• Stonebarb Cracked Tear: +30% stance damage.
• Stormhawk Deenh Spirit Ash. +20% stance damage.
• Cragblade Skill. +10% stance damage.
• Starting in NG+2, all enemies take reduced stance damage. See New Game Plus page for details.