Star Wars Jedi Survivor: How to beat Rancor

Andrew Highton
rancor boss in star wars jedi survivor

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor surprises players from time to time with devilishly difficult battles, and the Legendary Beast Rancor is a fine example. If you’re struggling with this powerful creature, we’ve got you covered.

The early hours of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor teaches you how to become an efficient Jedi when it comes to the game’s diverse combat. You’ll understand the basics of the force, how to change stances, and when the best time to unleash special powers is.

However, once you reach Koboh and you’re let off the leash, the onus is on you to explore. You’ll come across lots of treasures, fun goodies, and also some areas to venture through.

One sub-area will be home to a giant creature called Rancor – a Legendary Beast. You will also come across another Rancor fight later in the game, but we’re focusing on what is likely to be the first tussle.

In the same way that the Tree Sentinel caught players off guard in Elden Ring, underestimate Rancor at your own peril.

cal facing stormtroopers in star wars jedi survivor

Where is Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor?

You can find Rancor at the end of the Sodden Grotto on the planet Koboh. If you’re the investigative type and are keen to see what the open planet contains before you continue on with the story, then you’ll likely come face-to-face with Rancor quite quickly in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

We need to preface by saying that we don’t recommend taking on Rancor straight away. The boss doesn’t come close to anything you’ve fought to this point. We’d suggest you come back later once you’ve increased your stats and learned powerful new skills.

If you’re stubborn and persistent, or just want like the challenge and want to defeat this boss though, read on for our tips.

How to beat Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Accept you’re going to die, a lot

If you’re playing on the middle difficulty setting or above, then Rancor can destroy you in just two hits. Even if you’ve found all possible upgrades to this point and used Skill Points to increase your health, his power is formidable.

Rancor should be treated like a Souls boss and you’ll need to bide your time and learn his attacks.

Be patient

You should be looking to evade, jump over, or block Rancor’s attacks, then quickly get in and land a small flurry of strikes. Once you’ve done that, immediately dodge backward and prepare yourself for the next attack.

If you get too greedy, then you might be too close to be able to deal with his next attack or have time to get yourself out of the way.

cal kestis holding single lightsaber in star wars jedi survivor

Single Stance

All things considered, the Rancor fight is fairly neutral in terms of speed, range, and power. So we’ve opted for the Single Stance – which is better for one-on-one fights anyway.

Its balance of power and defense makes it ideal for dealing a good amount of damage, but also has more speed than the Crossguard stance.

Unblockable attacks

Rancor has two major unblockable attacks you need to look out for. His first one will see the titanic monster lunge at you, for this, you’ll need to evade either side of him. If you can do this, then this grants you a small window to land a nice combo on him or a special Force attack. Be warned though, if he gets you, it’s an instant death for Cal.

The other red unblockable attack is a ground attack that you will need to jump over. This is the better of the two attacks for you as a player as it won’t one-shot you, and if you successfully clear the attack, then you’ll be right next to Rancor to follow up with some decent damage.

Save your ‘Life Restored marker’

When you come back to the area where you died you’ll be able to retrieve lost XP. Stepping into this glowing spot will also restore your health and your Force meter too. In the context of this fight, it acts as an extra Stim. So, if you find yourself getting low on health, make sure to hop on over to where you died and get a free health boost.

For plenty more guides on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, check out some of our other guides below:

How gardening works in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | All lightsaber colors in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | How to open the door to Vashtan Wolfe in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | How to increase health & force in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | How to disable fall damage in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Star Wars Jedi Survivor: How to beat Rancor | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Holotactics guide | What does the Mysterious Key do in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor? | How to get a red lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Fastest ways to earn XP in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Where to find Priorite Shards in Star Wars Jedi

About The Author

Andrew Highton is a former Games Writer for Dexerto. He has a Creative Writing degree from Liverpool John Moores University and has previously written for games websites such as Twinfinite and Keengamer. With 13,000+ PlayStation Trophies to his name, Andrew is a fan of a huge variety of video games, his favourites being God of War and Metal Gear Solid. Contact him at andrew.highton@dexerto.com, on Twitter @AndyHighton8 or at www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-highton.