Our Star Wars Jedi Survivor tips and tricks will help players get to grips with everything you'll wish you'd known before you started playing. Having gone through Cal Kestis' journey ourselves, there's plenty of elements to Star Wars Jedi Survivor that we wish we'd known before we began, with nuances to exploration, upgrades, combat and using the lightsaber. If you want to know the little secret tidbits that the game isn't quick to pass out, here's the top 10 tips and tricks for Star Wars Jedi Survivor that we wish we'd known.
1. It's a Metroidvania, so you can't do everything straight away
A big part of Jedi Survivor is finding obstacles you can't get past. Yet. From high up places and impossible jumps, to entire areas locked behind Jedi Survivor green laser barriers, there are many sections of the game you can only access once you've gained specific powers at certain points in the story.You'll be able to access absolutely everything Star Wars Jedi Survivor has to offer at the end, but to start with if you can't see a way forward, it's probably best to move on and come back later. It'll be pretty clear when you've got the tools you need, but our Star Wars Jedi Survivor walkthrough will come in handy too to keep you on the right track.
2. Seek out stims and health/force upgrades
You'll want to try and find as many bonuses as possible, especially powerful upgrades around Health essence, Force essence, and Star Wars Jedi Survivor stim canisters. Essence increases your maximum HP and your Force meter - the amount of Force power you can use before recharging - while more stims means more healing in a fight. You'll find a few hard to miss options but you'll need to explore as much as you can to get the most. Look out for glowing crystals near the ground for essence, or a cylindrical yellow container for stims.
3. Use the best lightsaber stance for the right situation
There are five different Star Wars Jedi Survivor lightsaber stances, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. You'll start with single and dual-blade stances with former a generally solid multipurpose option. While the latter is best for taking out enemy groups. You'll also earn a Twin Blade stance early on, which is good at fast, focused damage against single targets. There's also a Blaster stance for ranged enemies, and the devastating Crossguard, which uses slow, heavy blows for big damage once you master the timings.
So if you can't beat a particular enemy, consider using a different stance. You can equip two at once in the 'Stances' section of the Meditation Shrine menu, and then swap between those at any time out in the world.
4. Use the Force to gain an advantage
The Force is one of the most powerful set of skills, both in and out of combat, from your various Star Wars Jedi Survivor abilities, Force powers and gear. Pushing and pulling items around can help with traversal, but can also turn a fight in your favor. Most enemies can take a gentle shove, but a harder push might send them flying off a ledge. And even the most powerful foes will take a hit to their block meter, potentially opening them up to damage quicker. Each lightsaber stance also has its own range Force moves, from throws to overhead slams, or powerful blocks and parries. Try everything out and see where you can get an advantage.
5. Parrying is always more important than landing a hit
It's obviously tempting to run into a fight with your lightsaber swinging, but patience is always better. Practically all the enemies you meet in Star Wars Jedi Survivor have a block bar as well as a health bar. As long as the gray line under their HP isn't empty - the block bar - they'll withstand your attacks. Chaotic swinging will achieve little and usually just opens you up to take damage. So, instead, aim to block their attacks at the exact right moment which will throw them off balance and reduce their block bar. Once that's empty, they'll be staggered and opened up to several hits at once.
6. Upgrade the survival tree first
Bonus Force powers or new lightsaber techniques might look the coolest option when leveling up but you really want to consider upgrading Survival tree first. This will get you extra health, more healing, and more Force to help you get out of a bind and keep you alive longer to do the cool stuff. It really can be the difference between beating a boss, or succumbing to their attacks.
7. The holomap is your friend
The planets in Star Wars Jedi Survivor are often large and complex, full of different paths and routes that continue to open up throughout the game. The Holomap is a 3D rendering of an entire planet, and will often show you exactly how to get somewhere, or if the path you're trying to use is currently blocked. Your objective will show up in bright gold, and unexplored areas or open paths will be highlighted in yellow and green. If you can't progress, an obstacle will show up in red, so you'll need to find another way around or come back when you have the right tool or ability to clear it. Side missions like the Jedi Survivor abandoned shack are so much easier to complete if you check the map carefully.
8. Confusion is a very powerful tool in a fight
The Confuse Force ability is basically the Jedi Mind Trick and it can be incredibly powerful in a fight. Use it on the weak minded and it will turn an enemy into an ally who'll fight alongside you. This can be very useful for thinning out a large group of enemies, and you can just keep your distance until the carnage has ended. YOu can level up as well to control more people for longer. Just remember that the ability technically turns whoever you use it on hostile to anyone so if you use it on a single enemy with no one nearby, they'll just attack you.
9. Use your companions if you're stuck
At certain sections of the game, you'll have a companion alongside you - either Bode or Merrin. As well as helping in combat both characters can help Cal with obstacles preventing him from reaching some areas. So if you get stuck and they can help you can direct them to move or remove a problem. And, while they'll fight whatever enemies nearest, they can also be instructed to focus on a particular opponent if you want help with a specific problem.
10. Whittle down different types of enemies to even the odds
Survivor will often drop Cal into areas full of different enemy types, and while it might be tempting to focus on the obvious melee enemies charging at you, you won't get far if you're also fighting off a barrage of blaster shots. When fights start look to deflect bolts back using the block button to take out ranged enemies, or use Force Pull to yank troopers to you to deal with. With the ranged threat neutralized, it'll be much easier to take on even the nastiest melee opponents Survivor can throw at you.
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