The Grudge is a legendary optional boss that you can encounter quite easily in Star Wars Jedi: Survivorand compared to all the fights you’ve had in the story, this is the first real challenge Cal Kestis will face, even on the standard Jedi Knight difficulty.
An iconic monster since its appearance in Return of the Jedi, you’ll have the chance to find the Rancor shortly after arriving on planet Koboh, just before reaching the Pyloon Saloon at the Rambler’s Reach outpost. There is a nearby prospector you can talk to who will tell you about other prospectors who went to explore a mine nearby and didn’t return, prompting you to investigate a rumor. The mine entrance will be right behind you.
As your fights with the Empire so far will have been fairly easy in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, this is a good side quest to go and test your Jedi abilities, and also where you can access a very useful Perk early on. This guide will provide you with all the information and tips you will need to defeat this brute.
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How to prepare for Rancor in Star Wars Jedi Survivor
As this boss will be available within the first three hours of the game, Cal won’t have improved his skills too much at this point, so you might find yourself less prepared for this fight if you decide to tackle the Rancor as soon as you find out. more on the rumor linked to nearby mines by Rambler’s Reach.
Because the Rancor hits very hard and is quite capable of shooting at you, increased health will be vital to surviving combat. We recommend upgrading the Resilience skill tree so that Cal’s max life is increased at least once. You also have the option to reset your skills at any time, so it doesn’t hurt to spend five skill points to unlock expert survival skills.
Finding more stimpacks to recover Cal’s life during the fight will also be important. We were able to finish this fight with only three stimpacks, but you might want to have found more before you consider going down to the mines. If you die during the fight, your lost XP will appear as a golden glowing dot in the arena where you fight the Rancor, and touching it will also restore your life and strength meter. So provided you don’t have too much XP you’re worried about losing, instead of going straight to the gold point, it’s worth keeping as a backup if you’re out of stimpacks.
After exploring the mines, known as Sodden Grotto, at the very bottom you will find an arena pit. There is a nearby meditation spot where you can rest and prepare your skills. Once you’re ready, jump into the pit. However, if the odds are looking against you, you also have the option to turn around and climb back out of the pit!
Need help with bedroom puzzles? Check out our walkthroughs for the Chamber of Clarity, the Chamber of Reason, and the Chamber of Duality. We also have guides to help you learn how to enter the Forest Array and solve the Uhrma Crypt puzzle. Want to travel in style? Then you can learn to tame and ride animals. If you want to upgrade your weapons, we can also show you how to get the Quickdraw Blaster and Crossguard Stance. Upgrades like this can come in handy when you need a strategy to defeat the Rancor.
How to defeat Rancor in Star Wars Jedi Survivor
The Rancor is slow and heavy initially, but can hit very hard. It has three basic attacks, each having a one-two combo. With his claws he can swipe with the left followed by the right, and another where he slams the left claw down followed by the right with a slightly slower pace. Getting hit by just one of these attacks is enough to put your health in the red, so getting hit by the full one-two will kill you.
He can also try to kick you with his feet, again with left followed by right, but this also does AOE damage from the ground, though the AOE isn’t as damaging as direct claw attacks. Either way, taking that grudge means either parrying each one-two attack as you go, or keeping your distance. He can, however, close the distance by quickly jumping forward.
The Rancor also has some nasty unblockable attacks which it telegraphs by glowing first. One is where it raises both claws above its head and then slams it in front, sending a shockwave at you from the ground, usually if you’re fighting from a distance. You can dodge sideways when this happens, though you’re probably too far from the Rancor to follow up with an attack.
The one to dread is the one where he raises his claws to his chest and then charges at you. If he catches you, you’ll unfortunately be his snack right there as he takes you in his jaws, while the camera tilts up slightly to spare you the gory details.
You can’t do much from a distance other than throw your lightsaber at it before your strength meter runs out, and you can’t really use the rock pillar, where the Rancor first emerges from behind, so covered that he’ll just plow through it like it’s nothing. So you’re going to have to face it head-on. If you’re not so confident with the parry, the best thing to do is try baiting the unblockable charge. After dodging this, it’s an easy way to get a few free hits afterwards, which also saves a unit of your strength meter so you have a safe lightsaber throw.
You can also prop up the beast with its own past meals. In the pit, there are bones lying around that you can use telekinesis to pick up and then throw at the Rancor’s mouth. This will keep it disabled for a few precious seconds, also allowing you to get free hits or a moment to catch your breath. Note that the Rancor’s block meter is only affected by parries, so any attack you land on it will reduce its health.
You won’t have to completely whittle down the Rancor’s health on your own, because when it’s only got a tiny percentage of its bar left, the game will jump into a cutscene as Cal finishes off the beast.
Rancor Reward in Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Killing the Rancor will net you a whole skill point of XP and end the rumored missing prospectors side quest. You may have noticed a glowing blue object deep in the Rancor’s lair. Once you defeat him, you can examine him and unlock the Shatter Perk. This is a very handy perk to equip early on, as it will break an enemy’s block meter with your attacks much faster.
Although the quest is considered complete after defeating the Rancor, it’s worth revisiting the Prospector who tipped you off in the first place. Talking to her, you’ll find out that she knew about the Rancor all along and wanted you to get rid of it so she could have the mine all to herself. Let’s just hope for her that another Rancor doesn’t show up!
With this legendary enemy out of the way, you’ll be a bit stronger and wiser for the rest of the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor campaign.
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