New Features and Differences - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Guide - IGN (2024)

Much has changed since the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and while Star Wars Jedi: Survivor still features a slightly older Cal Kestis hopping between planets on another adventure, there will be many differences in how the game plays as well as certain upgrades and features that were not present in the previous game.

The Story So Far

Five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis has lived with his decision to keep the identities of force-sensitive children out of the hands of the Empire by destroying a Jedi Holocron. However, he is still hounded by Sith inquisitors and struggling to stay one step ahead of them in a fight for survival. With no one to oppose the Galactic Empire, Cal and his droid companion, BD-1, will have to go to increasingly desperate lengths to protect himself and those he cares about.

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Larger Open Planets to Explore

While Jedi Fallen Order let you explore a variety of different worlds during Cal's adventure, the areas themselves were mostly relegated to long winding corridors and paths with certain deviations to find cosmetic chests and collectibles.

Jedi Survivor has much larger and more open explorable areas on the planets that Cal will be able to delve into in this sequel, with lots of different Rumors, Collectibles, and Activities to take advantage of. To help navigate these more open spaces, Cal will also be able to tame local fauna to use as temporary mounts or gliders to reach areas quickly. Fast Travel will also be a new addition not present in the previous game.

Certain planets also serve as large explorable hub zones that will expand over time as you develop new powers and upgrades and will also feature towns with NPCs you can interact with, shops you can visit, and secrets that will reveal themselves later on.

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Jedi Meditation Chamber Trials

Another new addition is the ability to locate and explore forgotten Jedi Meditation Chambers scattered across the Galaxy during Jedi Survivor. Similar to Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Shrines, these trials will utilize Cal's knowledge of the force to complete puzzles and challenges and may reward you with important perks or skill points to invest in.

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New Lightsaber Styles and Stances

In Jedi Fallen Order, Cal started off with a single saber, but was later able to wield a saber staff and sometimes detach into dual sabers for specific attacks.

This time around, Cal not only has distinct stances for single, double-bladed staff, and dual saber attacks, but can also learn two additional stances for a total of five. These include a crossguard stance that emphasizes slow powerful attacks, and an unconventional blaster style that lets you quickly swap between close and far targets.

Only two stances can be equipped at one time, so it will be important to consider opponents you may face as well as your favored playstyle before venturing forth. To further expand on these stances, there are now skill trees for each of the lightsaber stance styles, as well as skill trees for general force powers.

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Upgraded Force Powers

While Cal spent much of Jedi Fallen Order trying to restore the connection to the force that he severed, the events of Jedi Survivor sees Cal Kestis as a true Jedi Knight, and will have much more force powers to take advantage of.

In addition to basic moves, Cal can now use the Force to pick up enemies and slam them into the ground, use enemies as shields against incoming fire, and build up a meter to unleash an area of effect of slowed time that is improved from his standard slowing power in the previous game. Cal can also use mind tricks to disorient opponents in combat, and get to new places with the ability to dash through the air after jumping. This will come hand in hand with better traversal abilities, like a new grappling hook, and the ability to quickly descend surfaces using his lightsaber.

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More Enemies

In addition to familiar foes from the Empire like Stormtrooper and Sith Inquisitors, there are more enemies than ever that will be hot on Cal's tail, including some of the following:

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• Marauders of the Bedlam Gang
• Rancors
• DT Sentry Droids

A new feature also includes the ability to dismember enemies - not just droids but Stormtroopers and other humanoid attackers as well.

A new fearsome enemy that appears in Jedi Survivor is known as Rayvis the Gen'Dai. The Gen'Dai were a seemingly immortal species, and ones that could take on multiple forms. Rayvis apparently leads the Bedlam Raiders, and thinks of himself as the hero of his own story, though his path appears destined to oppose Cal and his mission.

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A New Ally

Seen in many of the trailers for Jedi Survivor, Cal has a new buddy that will accompany him - a mercenary named Bode Akuna. Unlike other friends that remain in safe zones and hubs to converse with you, this new ally will accompany you on certain missions to fight alongside Cal against the enemies you encounter.

While Bode does not have force powers, he becomes a valuable ally in the fight against the Empire. He's able to use his jetpack to keep up with Cal's force traversal methods, and will hold his own in combat with a mix of ranged attacks, shock grenades, and jetpacking in for close combat combo attacks to fight alongside Cal.

With this new feature, Bode will be able to engage enemies and keep them occupied on his own (and even defeat foes all by himself), as well as allowing you to signal a command for Bode to unleash a specal attack on an enemy you are targeting. Even when not giving commands, Bode will react to your moves and support accordingly, like adding his own blaster shots timed with your force powers for maximum impact.

It is possible that other characters like Nightsister Merrin may also join up to fight alongside Cal over the course of the story, but it's also worth noting that Bode will not always be at your side - whether taking off during certain story moments or letting you explore side content while he remains behind, it's good to make use of his abilities while he's around, but don't get too dependent on them.

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