How to Defeat Rancor in Jedi Survivor

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sees you running into a Legendary Rancor, and it doesn’t want a hug. Riding it, Boba Fett-style, is also off the table, so the only option is to kick its flesh-eating bottom. Here’s how to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. 

Preparing to Beat the Rancor in Jedi Survivor

The first thing you need to know is that this is going to be a tough fight. So, we suggest putting it off until you’ve upgraded Cal’s health to near maximum level. Even if you haven’t left Koboh, we’d recommend you roam around, gathering as much experience as you can.

Then, start using skill points to level up Cal’s Health. We’d also recommend you unlock the Vortex Drive skill from the Double-Bladed stance. Having at least four health stims will help, too.

Where Do You Find the Rancor in Jedi Survivor?

The Legendary Rancor, the first one in the game that you will encounter, is in the Sodden Grotto mines. You’ll probably end up down there because of a side quest that requires you to hunt down some missing prospectors.

Once inside, you’ll need to do a fair amount of exploring, but it’s surprisingly easy to get lost. You’re looking for a wall with a “JL” symbol painted on it. Squeeze through the crack right next to it, and you’re nearly at the Rancor.

You’ll see a big rib cage nearby — when you reach that, you should see, a little further on, a low cave that you can jump down into. Activate the meditation point right by it and then jump down for a fight.

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How Do You Beat the Rancor in Jedi Survivor?

The best way to beat the Rancor is to attack with a Dual-Bladed Stance and steer clear of its highly damaging swipe attacks.

The Rancor has two red attacks, both of which can kill you, so get clear, whether that’s using the evade move or just running away. However, it also has a one-two swipe attack that can be lethal. It’ll attack with one arm, then the other. If it catches you with both, you’re dead, so dodge.

You may notice the bones on the floor of the Rancor’s cave. You can use the Force to hurl these into its mouth, Luke Skywalker-style. That’ll give you a few seconds to get some hits in, but picking up and aiming them also puts you in harm’s way — so we can’t recommend using them.

What you should be doing is this:

• Equip Dual-Bladed Stance (You can use others, but we’ve found this to be the most effective.)
• Dodge the one-two-swipe attacks, then get up close and hack away at it. Use Vortex Attack if you can.
• Dodge the red attacks. You can use this window to attack the Rancor to attack it, but it’s safer to just back off and wait for it to pull out the swipe attacks.
• As soon as your slow-mo attack charges, use it when you’re up close to the Rancor.

The trick is getting to a rhythm of letting the Rancor swipe, then slashing it, then backing off. You’ll die a couple of times, but you’ll learn how long you’ve got before the next attack kicks in. When it’s down to just a small chunk of energy left, you’ll be able to leap in and finish it off.

You can block, but it’ll use up most of your Force meter, leaving you wide open to a second swipe. Parrying is another option, but the risk of failing and losing over half your energy isn’t worth it.

What Happens When You Beat the Rancor in Jedi Survivor?

The prize for defeating it is the Shatter perk, which makes it easier to shatter other enemies’ blocks. It’s a skill that’s absolutely worth having, even if it takes persistence to conquer the Rancor. That’s because when you’re fighting multiple enemies, and one more can shrug off your attacks, you could find it a struggle. This skill evens the odd a little, at least.  

And that’s how to defeat the Legendary Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

The above article was updated on 5/1/2024 by Chris McMullen to clarify information about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.