Elden Ring brings back one of the best features from Dark Souls 2: being able to power stance weapons. This ability allows for a whole new weapon move set for every weapon category in the game, expanding build and playstyle variety farther than the already massive selection of options.
This Elden Ring guide will tell you everything you need to know about the power stance mechanic, from how to do it to its utility, costs, and more.
Elden Ring Power Stance Explained
How to Power Stance and What It Does
Unlike Dark Souls 2, which has a laundry list of requirements to enter power stance, Elden Ring only has a few. You must:
- Be able to wield a specific weapon one-handed.
- Equip a weapon from the same weapon group (straight swords, daggers, etc.) in both hands.
- Use the left trigger to use the power stance move set.
That’s really all there is to it. There’s no need for 1.5 times the stat requirement per weapon here. There’s no additional button holding to activate the stance. And there’s no change of stance signifying the new move set. Just equip the same weapon type in both hands, use the left bumper, and profit.
Be aware that power stance attacks use up quite a bit of stamina, so if you aren’t careful, you could end up unable to dodge or otherwise avoid incoming attacks. There are also no strong power stance attacks. The left trigger remains reserved for Ashes of War Weapon Art attacks.
You will, of course, need to upgrade both weapons to have usable damage, and there are several weapons in Elden Ring that appear only once per playthrough. To use legendary or unique weapons in power stance, you’ll either need to enter New Game Plus or have another player drop a second version for you.
Using power stance weapons increases your damage output and offers new ways to fight, but it adds additional weight to your equip load. This is especially true if you’re wielding two larger weapons, like greatswords or other larger armaments. You’ll also be without a shield, forcing you to learn the roll timing of any attack that comes your way. You can always swap to a shield in your off-hand, but you’ll lose power stance attacks while you’re defending.
Two-handing your weapon also removes the power stance, though that’s kind of the point of that ability. You can, however, easily swap between both your weapons’ Ashes of War. Instead of pressing the right trigger to two-hand your right-hand weapon, press left trigger with Y or Triangle held, and you’ll use your left-hand weapon with both hands. This opens up even more options for your build.
That’s everything you need to know about how to power stance in Elden Ring. Use Ashes of War for some of the best abilities to augment your build, then find those same Ashes quicker and easier by learning how to fast travel. As always, our Elden Ring guide hub has plenty more.
