Best Axe setup…

So I’ve never played with the axe before in Nioh 1 or 2 as I felt it was kinda boring and spin to win only…in Nioh 3 this definitely isn’t the case. The axe feels unstoppable and somewhat flashy. It’s a powerhouse!

I’ve read and correct me if I’m wrong, that mid stance is your defensive stance and high and low for damage output, given the situation. I find mid stance works really well with humans.

If I wanted to use high stance for major damage output and use low stance as my usual go to in order to deplete the enemies ki before switching to high to finish them off. That would leave mid for total defensive purposes.

In your opinion what are the must have defensive skills? So far I’ve seen two martial arts that can deflect and hit and enemy at the same time by pressing L1 + square (not sure the exact names of these skills) the first one you unlock seems stronger. There’s the kick by holding triangle and is the enemy is out of ki it’ll automatically launch into a grapple. Also the move when an enemy swings you press forward and L1 and you’ll slide to his side where he’s open for a hit.

Anyhow any tips are greatly appreciated, would love to hear how you use the axe and what skills are your go to in what stance!