Jin Sakai in a standoff against a bandit
Send your best warrior!
― Jin Sakai initiating a Standoff
Standoffs are special battles in Ghost of Tsushima. Jin Sakai can choose to challenge enemies to a lethal standoff before entering Mongol territory or encountering nearby enemies before they detect him.[1] Standoffs mimic the honorable combat of samurai cinema.
Mechanism[]
The Standoff mode can be activated anytime even in infiltration. They are dynamic, as Jin has the option to choose when to encounter his enemies face-to-face. After Jin has entered into a standoff, he and his opponent face off against each other, with the opponent wielding his weapon while Jin prepares for an attack. During this time, the player must hold the triangle button on the controller and must not let go of the button until the opponent starts to attack Jin. If the player lets go at the right time, Jin would instantly kill his opponent with a single slash. However, in the later stages of the game, standoffs become more difficult for the player, since Jin's opponent can use fake-outs to trick the player into letting go of the button too early. If the player isn't careful and fails to time the attack in the right time, Jin would fail to kill his opponent, leaving his opponent free to attack him, which can cause a massive loss of health for Jin. In this case, this ends the Standoff mode and the player immediately enters combat.
Standoffs aren't limited only to one opponent. If Jin equips the right charms, upgrades, and armor, he can kill more enemies in a single standoff if done correctly, and could possibly terrify nearby enemies.[2] During this phase, after Jin's first enemy is killed, subsequent enemies will charge at Jin and attack him, opening them up to an instant kill. Skills can add up to two more potential kills, and upgraded Sakai Clan Armor can increase the standoff streak by an additional two, for a potential maximum of five kills in an initial standoff.
In the game's context, standoffs show Jin's honor, even as the Ghost. This lives inside of Jin, even though he himself is not considered to be a samurai anymore.
Strategy[]
Standoffs require extreme precision, as one wrong moment can mean life or death for the player. Since feints can easily distract the player from releasing the triangle button too early, the best way to successfully complete a standoff is to look at the opponent's feet. The opponent's arm gestures can be hard to concentrate, as most of the time, his feints are usually similar to his upcoming attack. Because the opponent's feet do not move when the opponent performs a feint, it is best for the player to concentrate more on his footwork than his arm movement, since the attack always results in the movement of his feet.
If the player wants to get rid of most of the enemies with low Resolve, standoffs can be an excellent source of Resolve, while starting combat smoothly, since a successful standoff can cause nearby enemies to be terrified. Furthermore, the maximum standoff streak of five brings the player only two kills short of being able to activate the Ghost Stance, and pickup the remaining two kills through from terrified enemies and/or Dance of Wrath fueled by the resolve gained to pick up the remaining two kills. With the subsequent use of Ghost Stance, performed successfully, this strategy can eliminate ten enemies, not including any extra terrified enemies, before they have a chance to retaliate.
Standoff Quotes[]
- I've come for Lord Shimura
- Are you cowards?
- Stand and fight me!
- Come and fight!
- Show me your Skill!
- Face me!
- Hey!
- Looking for me?
- Fight me!
- I’m right here!
- Who will fight?
- Draw your blades!
- Stand and fight!
- Come here and fight!
- Who will face me first?
- Send your best warrior!
- Challenge me!