At the start of his journey in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cal Kestis will have to take down some powerful enemies, such as the Ninth Sister, but they are nothing compared to some of the other foes that will get in the way of the Jedi as he attempts to stay ahead of the Galactic Empire.

　　The first of these foes that will put the player's knowledge and skills to the test is the Rancor, an optional boss that can be fought shortly after landing on Koboh, the second planet in the game. Here's where to find the boss and how to take it down without too much trouble.

　　

Where to Find The Rancor

The Rancor can be found in the Sodden Grotto, which is located not too far from the Rambler's Reach Outpost Meditation Point. Near the save point, you can talk with a Prospector who will ask Cal to look for some missing companions, initiating the Find The Missing Prospectors side quest. To enter the Sodden Grotto where the Prospectors have gone missing, reach the area marked on the map and head down into the cave by using the pipe to the left side. Get to the end of the cave by completing some straightforward navigational challenges to reach the Sodden Grotto Meditation Point. In the chamber ahead, you will find the Rancor.

　　

How to Beat The Rancor

The Rancor is a massive beast that doesn't require just good combat skills to beat but also excellent positioning and, most of all, patience. The enemy comes with attacks that are very damaging, have great range, and are surprisingly quick. At high difficulties like Jedi Master and Jedi Grand Master, the Rancor can take out Cal in just a couple of hits, so it may be a good idea to just leave the Rancor alone until you have upgraded Cal's health, Force, and abilities.

　　Even with the most basic enhancements that can be obtained in the first few hours of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it is entirely possible to beat the Rancor. As mentioned above, the enemy's attacks have amazing range and are very difficult to dodge, so the way to minimize the chance of getting destroyed by these attacks is by employing a hit-and-run strategy. Keep your distance as much as possible by taking advantage of the big chamber where the fight takes place, parry or block the Rancor's smashing overhead attacks, wide swipes, and quick punches, attack it a few times, then step back again.

　　A couple of the Rancor's unblockable attacks can be a little tricky to avoid, but it is totally doable. For both the shockwave attack and the lunging attack, all you need to do is keep your cool and avoid to the side at the last possible moment. The short-range stomping attacks the Rancor likes to do when Cal is close can be easily avoided by jumping out of the way. Simply dodging on the ground won't be enough due to the resulting shockwaves, so jumping is the only way to avoid damage completely.

　　If you're attempting to take down the Rancor as soon as the Find the Missing Prospectors sidequest becomes available, you will only have three different Lightsaber Stances to choose from. The Dual Wield stance is undoubtedly the one that works best in this fight, thanks to its unique properties that let Cal cancel attacks with blocking with no delay. As some of the Rancor's close-range attacks are very quick, being able to parry them on the fly without being locked into an attack animation is truly priceless. Also, the Stance's first ability, Backstep Slash, works great to attack the enemy while immediately putting some distance from it to have a better chance of avoiding its powerful attacks.

　　

What Do You Get For Beating The Rancor

　　After defeating the Rancor, you will get not only a decent amount of experience but also the chance to pick up a new Perk, which is part of new gameplay systems introduced in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which lets you customize Cal's fighting style further. This Perk is the Shatter Perk, which makes Cal's attacks deplete the enemy's block gauge more than usual. The cost to equip this Perk is two slots.