What Is Power Stance in Elden Ring? [How to Power Stance in the Game]

FromSoftware carried over a lot of familiar mechanics from its Soulsborne series to Elden Ring – one of which is the power stance.

But, if you haven’t played one of the most difficult and best games to stream out there, you may be wondering: “What is Power Stance in Elden Ring?”

In Elden Ring, power stancing is dual-wielding weapons to maximize your damage at the cost of defense and mobility.

Here’s what that means exactly, how to power stance in the game, and the best power stance weapon combinations in Elden Ring.

Can You Power Stance in Elden Ring?

Yes, you can.

It works similarly to how it did in Dark Souls 2 but FromSoftware tweaked it a little to adapt it to the unique combat system in Elden Ring.

An Elden Ring power stance involves equipping two weapons of the same type to access a unique moveset.

The moveset depends on the type of weapons you use.

How to Power Stance in Elden Ring?

A power stance in Elden Ring requires equipping two weapons of the same type. 

This can include any two katanas, two daggers, two great hammers, and other classes of weapons.

Unlike in Dark Souls 2, where you could switch between standard and power stance movesets when dual-wielding, Elden Ring automatically switches to a power stance moveset when you equip two of the same type of weapon.

Once equipped, you need to hit the L1 or LB button to enable Elden Ring power stancing and swing both weapons at the same time.

Using R1 and R2 –the standard light and heavy attack buttons, respectively– will result in standard attacks.

Pros and Cons of Power Stancing in Elden Ring

Power stance moves combine the attacks of the left and the right hand and allow you to deal nearly double the damage. And to deal even more damage, you should definitely upgrade both of your weapons.

The most obvious drawback is that you can’t use a shield to protect you from incoming attacks– since you need to hold two weapons in both of your hands– so, you will have to get used to sprinting and hone your spacing and dodging skills.

The power stance mechanic also generally requires some extra investment into the Endurance stat for more equip load, especially when wielding Strength weapons like greataxes and greatswords. And if you're missing the required stats, you can respec your character to meet the requirements.

Best Power Stance Weapons in Elden Ring

With the plethora of weapons available in Elden Ring, there’s no shortage of great power stance combinations.

Here are the best Elden Ring power stance weapons you should consider.

Colossal Greatswords (Grafted Blade Greatsword and the Ruins Greatsword)

The Grafted Blade Greatsword and the Ruins Greatsword are the perfect combination for high-damage attacks.

With its B-tier Strength scaling, the Grafted Blade Greatsword can deal nearly 400 in damage and comes with a skill, called Oath of Vengeance, which temporarily raises all of your stats by five.

On the other hand, the Ruins Greatsword deals around 300 damage and lends you the Wave of Destruction skill that fires off a gravitational force into the ground which knocks off enemies.

Colossal Weapons (Double Prelate's Inferno Crozier)

One of the most impressive power stance builds in Elden Ring is equipping two Prelate’s Inferno Crozier weapons and an excellent option when going into boss fights.

The Prelate’s Inferno Crozier scales primarily with Dexterity and Strength and is a great weapon for strong melee attacks. With B-tier Strength scaling, it can deal maximum damage of 339 and can use Ashes of War to increase poison, bleeding, or frost damage, depending on the build.

The weapon comes with the Prelate’s Charge skill which slams the ground to create a surge of flames and then charges forward.

Halberds (The Golden Halberd and The Commander's Standard)

The Golden Halberd is a good choice in fights that require heavy physical and holy damage. 

This weapon has a maximum of more than 200 Holy damage and nearly 330 physical damage and comes with the Golden Vow skill, which increases your and your allies' defense stats and attack power.

In combination with Commander's Standard, you can deal maximum damage of a little under 700 (with B-tier Strength scaling).

Greataxes (Executioner's Greataxe And Greataxe)

The Executioner Greataxe and the ordinary Greataxe are two of the most powerful weapons in their class, allowing this Elden Ring power stance combination to make for some heavy damage.

The ordinary Greataxe boasts the highest base damage of any Greataxe you can find in the game and the Executioner Greataxe doesn’t fall far behind, with a base damage of 150.

Both weapons have their own skills: the War Cry, which increases physical attack damage and strength scaling, and Barbaric Roar, which boosts attack speed and changes strong attacks into charging attacks.

Curved Greatswords (Omen Cleaver And Beastman's Cleaver)

As Greatswords, the Omen Cleaver and Beastman’s Cleaver deal considerable damage, both individually and together; The Beastman Cleaver can be upgraded to a total of 350 damage, while the Omen can deal around 347.

This power stance is an excellent option for fighting bosses with a lot of HP, but your character will need Strength to wield them. The Beastment’s Cleaver requires 25 Strength and you’ll need 19 Strength to carry the Omen Cleaver.

Fists (Grafted Dragon And Katar)

Fighting your enemies up close can be tricky unless you have the Grafted Dragon and Katar.

A Graften Dragon has maximum physical damage of 218 (when fully upgraded) and comes with a Bear Witness skill, which spews fire for additional damage in a certain range. 

On the other hand, the Katar weapon deals maximum damage of 237 and can easily penetrate the enemy shield with its Impaling Thrust skill. 

Daggers (Cinquedea And Reduvia)

If you prefer smaller blades, consider combining the Cinquedea dagger, which is more for a Strength build, and the Reduvia dagger that’s better for a Dexterity build.

The daggers deal 240 and 190 physical damage respectively and feature a unique skill.

The Reduvia dagger comes with the Reduvia Blood Blade skill which allows the dagger to send projectiles of blood that deal additional damage to enemies.

The Cinquedea has the Quickstep ability which makes it easier to dodge and side-shuffle around enemies.

Twinblades (Gargoyle's Twinblade And Gargoyle's Black Blades)

The Gargoyle's Twinblade And Gargoyle's Black Blades have a lot in common.

They both can obtain B-tier Strength scaling and have the Spinning Slash skill, which allows the blade to swirl and deal damage. It can also connect to a final heavy attack.

The downside is the Twinblade and the Black Blades are not easy to get. You’ll need to fight two bosses to get your hands on the weapons and the latter can’t use Ashes of War.

Reapers (Halo Scythe And Grave Scythe)

What makes the Halo Scythe and the Grave Scythe an excellent combination is that they each have what the other lacks.

The Halo Scythe has a Miquella's Ring of Light skill, which shoots giant rings that can hit the target from afar. When maxed out, this weapon can deal nearly physical 300 damage and considerable Holy damage that can kill smaller targets with no more than two hits.

The Grave Scythe has higher base damage, scales equally with Strength and Dexterity, and features the Spinning Slash skill, which inflicts more bleed damage.

Bottom Line

So, what is power stance in Elden Ring? The power stance in Elden Ring is a mechanic that awards players with a unique, damage-boosting moveset when dual-wielding two weapons of the same type at the cost of the ability to hold a shield in your character’s offhand and defend yourself against attacks.

Power stancing often requires having plenty of equip load, but it’s well worth the trouble in scenarios when an increased damage output can make or break the fight.