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We saw Cal Kestis go up against some pretty tough foes in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, including AT-STs, Oggdo Bogdo, Inquisitors, and even Darth Vader, but that's nothing compared to what he's got to fight in the sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Well, except for Darth Vader, that was pretty tough.

Related:Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - How To Defeat The Spawn Of Oggdo Bogdo

A great example of this can be found on the game's second planet, Koboh. One of the earliest bits of side content you can take on will see Cal looking for lost prospectors and coming up against one of the most infamous enemies in the Star Wars universe - the Rancor, best known for nearly eating Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.

Updated May 15, 2023: We've updated this article to include a video guide that shows you how to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

How To Find The Rancor

The location of the Rancor side mission in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Before you can go up against the Rancor, you're going to need to know where to look. To get the side mission started, head to the location marked above in the Southern Reach, just before you get into the main town area where Greez's saloon is located.

Once here, talk to the character who is stood behind a workbench and they'll tell you that some prospectors have gone missing in a nearby cave. Cal will then agree to check it out, beginning the "Find The Missing Prospectors" rumour and marking it on your map.

The location of the Rancor in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Thankfully, the cave is right next to where the mission starts, just slightly West of the mission-giver. You'll know you're in the right place when you see a large cave opening that's marked with yellow equipment. To get into the cave, you simply need to grab the pipe above Cal as you enter the cave, and then follow it down.

The meditation point before the Rancor fight in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Once you're in the cave, you'll then be able to follow the path to get to the Rancor. There are a few optional collectibles here by taking some of the side paths, but you want to take the first left and then follow the path on the right.

You'll run into a few Springers, but you'll eventually reach a Meditation Point above a small pit. This pit is where the Rancor is located, so prepare for a tough fight here by resting first and setting whatever Stances you want Cal to use.

How To Defeat The Rancor

Cal having defeated a Rancor in Jedi: Survivor.

For so early in the game, the Rancor is an incredibly tough fight that's on the same level as Oggdo Bogdo in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It has a ton of health, loads of unblockable attacks, and hits like a tank if you're not careful.

It's worth trying to find at least one more Stim Canister before taking the Rancor on - an easy extra one to get can be found in Doma's Shop by getting the Mysterious Keycode, which we've detailed in this separate guide.

If you're struggling to beat the Rancor, try dying on purpose to leave your Force Essence behind.

Collecting this will result in all of Cal's health and Force being restored, so keep it around the battlefield for a free full health refill when you need it.

The Rancor generally attacks with blockable attacks, but also has an incredibly dangerous unblockable that will kill you in one if he manages to hit you.

The best Stance to use against the Rancor is the Dual Wield, as its quick attacks will allow you to get in and out of range as fast as possible. Another good option is the Blaster stance, although you won't unlock that until a bit later in the game.

Swipe

The Rancor will swing its arms around near Cal for quick hits. The Rancor will usually do two swipes when attacking, but both can be parried to deal some damage to its block. This is usually its go-to move once Cal has attacked it a few times.

Stomp

The Rancor will raise its legs and stomp twice in quick succession, sending out quick shockwaves whenever it lands. The best way to avoid this is to jump away when its feet land. It's best not to try and get in to counterattack too fast, but you can connect some lightsaber swings in the air if you're quick enough.

Overhead Swing

This attack is similar to the swipe attack, but the Rancor will instead bring its fists over its head and then slam them into the ground. These can also be parried.

As for unblockables, the Rancor only has one but it's something that you absolutely need to avoid as even being hit by it once is enough to end the whole fight.

Grab Attack

This is easily the Rancor's most dangerous attack. When it glows red, it's about to lunge forward at Cal and quickly grab him, which results in an instant kill. The best thing to do when this happens is dodge quickly to the side and then jump in to counterattack. Once you're used to this attack, this is one of the best ways to deal some good damage to the Rancor.

The Shatter perk in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

After you beat the Rancor, you'll be able to explore its lair and come across one of the game's most helpful Perks - Shatter. Equipping this will make Cal's attacks more effective at breaking an enemy's guard, at the cost of two Perk spaces, a great early-game reward for taking down such a tough enemy.

Next: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - What Does Doma's Mysterious Keycode Do?