How to beat the Star Wars Jedi Survivor Rancor in the mine
Everyone’s going to want to know how to beat the Rancor in Star Wars Jedi Survivor as it might just be the biggest, baddest enemy you'll face. So if you want to know how to find the missing prospectors and defeat the rancor, I’ve got a few tips to help you overcome one of the first major challenges you'll come across when Cal arrives on Koboh at the start of the game.
How to find the Rancor in Jedi Survivor
Just before Cal arrives at the Rambler's Reach Outpost on Koboh, you'll find a Meditation Point. Off to your right will be a local prospector who says she's worried about a group that went into a nearby mine and hasn't come out yet. This will start a Star Wars Jedi Survivor Rumor titled 'Find the Missing Prospectors.' To get started, you'll need to head to the mine, which is only a short distance from the prospector - head up the nearby vine wall, and the mine will be off to your left in the nearby cliff face.
Navigating it is a little tricky, so make use of the holomap. You'll need to climb down the pipe at the entrance, and then continue into the mine. Turn left as you approach the main shaft, and use the force on the grate in front of you, which will be glowing blue. Go straight ahead, watching out for the critters that will jump you, and cut through the pipes. Wall-run over the gap, follow the path, and turn left using the rock-bridge to traverse the next gap. Take the second right, cutting through more pipes, then follow the path around until you find a squeeze-hole on your left. Turn right immediately, and go through another squeeze hole. Follow the path, activate the shortcut back to the start, and head through space on your left. There, you'll find a meditation shrine on your right, and the Rancor arena straight ahead of you.
If you want more info on where to go and what to do generally, we've got a Star Wars Jedi Survivor walkthrough to guide you.
How to beat the Rancor in Jedi Survivor
Stay mobile and dodge as much as possible
Focus on damage with the Dual or Crossguard Stances
The Rancor is a formidable foe, and is able to kill Cal in a couple of hits. It also has three unblockable attacks, one of which is an insta-kill, so dodging is key. The air dash you can unlock from the list of Star Wars Jedi Survivor abilities, Force powers and gear can be incredibly useful here. If you see the boss glow red, it's best to get as much distance as possible - two of those unblockable attacks are large area of effect strikes, and the third - and most deadly - is a lengthy lunge. Let the Rancor come to you, and it'll have overextended, making it easy to get some hits in. Even the beast's blockable attacks - an array of large swipes towards you - are extremely heavy, and will drain your block meter quickly, staggering you and opening you up to more punishment. The Rancor's guard and the infrequency of its attacks also means that parrying is ineffective, so keep your distance even if you think you can block.
Before you start the fight, it's likely worth considering your skills and stances. Given how hard the Rancor hits, a little extra health can make a lot of difference, so consider putting your skills into the 'Survival' tree, which offers extra max health and more healing from very early on. You can also collect a lot more Star Wars Jedi Survivor stim canisters to help in the fight.
When it comes to which of the Star Wars Jedi Survivor lightsaber stances to use, you'll have two good options depending on how far through the game you are. Early on, I had most success with the Dual Wield stance, which lets you get lots of small hits in - breaking the Rancor's guard is nearly impossible due to its other attacks, so simply pressuring it where you can, rather than blocking, is a good strategy. If you choose to return to the Rancor later in the game, you might have the Crossguard stance - this heavier-hitting lightsaber style is very effective against bigger foes that make no attempt to block your strikes, which means you only have to land a handful of hits to do some serious damage. You won't unlock the Crossguard until after you leave Koboh for the first time, but with the Meditation Shrine unlocked you'll be able to fast-travel back to the mine very quickly.
After you've beaten the Rancor, you'll be able to scan it for some extra XP, and make use of the crystal in the back of its cave to boost some other stats. To leave the mine, simply climb out of the pit, take the shortcut back to the mine entrance, and head back to Rambler's Reach. You can fully complete the rumor by talking to the prospector.
