Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderfans were lucky to have an abundance of combat options in a single entry. Much ofFallen Order’s progression was designed around receiving Force abilities that Cal Kestis had been dissociated from after he suffered a traumatic loss at the hands of the Empire, but his skill with a lightsaber was demonstrably left unaffected. Respawn was brilliant to start players off witha single-bladed lightsaber that was actually a double-bladed lightsaberthat had been cleaved in half, teasing that players would be able to later make it whole again.
Cal then demonstrates expertise with a double-bladed lightsaber once that attachment capability is discovered in one of two places, and it is not until players craft their own lightsaber witha desired kyber crystal on Ilumthat they receive a dual-bladed extension. This allows players to slash at enemies with two single-bladed lightsabers once the default double-bladed lightsaber is detached, but it has been recently revealed that Respawn was unable to design this stance to its fullest potential. InStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, however, players will have a lot to consider in combat early on.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Early Game Will Be Packed with Combat Potential
It may seem like common sense that Cal Kestis would be able to beginStar Wars Jedi: Survivorwith all that he already knew and possessed inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Rather, it is not actually common for many sequels to instantly give the player some of the most high-level equipment that they had in their predecessors.
This is likely a balancing issue, where developers do not want players to be instantly overpowered and have no room to progress throughout the game, though it also takes away from the progression of the playable protagonist from game-to-game in a way that is difficult to suspend disbelief around. Players will probably be grateful, then, to hear that Cal will apparently have all three ofFallen Order’s lightsaber combat stances at the start ofSurvivor, according to Senior Design Director Jason de Heras and Game Director Stig Asmussen.
It is unclearif Cal will have all of the Force abilities he recollected inFallen Orderas well, though narratively it would only make sense if he does, unless he suffers another bout of psychologically induced amnesia. That gives players a lot of potential combat options to micromanage all at once in the beginning ofSurvivor, but it seems like there is a way that has been structured to not overwhelm players. Players will only be able to have two combat stances equipped at once that are then swapped to back-and-forth, and these stances can allegedly be rotated in-and-out at meditation points.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Combat Progression Might Be Askew
Because players have the breadth of three entire combat stances early on, there is a general concern raised about how much ofSurvivor’s combat progressionwill be poorly balanced. Stuffing so much into the opening act of the game will feel like a fantastic transition if fans have recently playedFallen Order, for example, but if there is not something new to learn until much later in the game, that could leave players wanting more after deciding on their favorite stances right away.
There are only two additional stances players learn in the game, which includethe heavy option crossguard lightsaber reminiscent of Kylo Ren’s lightsaberand the stance that combines a blaster pistol with a single-bladed lightsaber. The crossguard stance has been shown off since its reveal and looks like a risk-reward option, but the blaster has yet to be shown.
Likewise, the bounty hunter enemy that Cal encounters has a crossguard lightsabers, which may point to how Cal will discover that attachment and mod his own lightsaber with it later on, and depending on how soon players fight them on Koboh, that could happen sooner than later. Unfortunately, with four out of five stances already revealed, hopefullySurvivorhas not already unveiled too muchand left nothing for gamers to discover when they start playing at the end of April.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorlaunches on July 26, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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