Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is already packed with gameplay features, including many unique Force abilities that Cal Kestis rekindles throughout the game. So considering what improvements and mechanics could be added to make Star Wars Jedi: Survivor special and iterative, Respawn will seemingly need to be creative with what it brings to the sequel. There are already a few new features seen in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s gameplay trailer, such as an NPC companion AI, at least one mount on a particular planet, and multiple new combat stances.
Much of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s gameplay reflected the narrative. Cal only retained his stasis Force ability in the beginning, but held onto Master Jaro Tapal’s double-bladed lightsaber that had been broken, rendering it as a single-bladed lightsaber. Because Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was the first game in the franchise it needed to establish these basic combat foundations before a sequel could emerge with new experimental styles. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor now seems to be honoring that with new stances, such as the crossguard lightsaber attachment.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Has Five Combat Stances
Respawn recently revealed that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will have five combat stances players will want to learn. Only three of these stances were discussed and revealed, confirming the news that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor would let players wield a blaster pistol.
Besides the traditional single lightsaber approach to combat, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is reprising the double-bladed lightsaber and dual lightsaber attachments that were introduced in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The blaster pistol will apparently be used in tandem with a lightsaber, and while there may be dual-wielding of both armaments, it is more likely that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s blasters could behave similarly to Bloodborne’s firearms.
Either way, having a dedicated ranged element in combat will be incredibly unique and possibly taught to Cal by his new companion, Bode Akuna. The stance that seems most intriguing, however, is the new crossguard lightsaber which is reminiscent of Star Wars’ Kylo Ren and effectively adds a crossguard attachment to the lightsaber’s hilt. This stance was teased in The Game Awards' gameplay trailer, and new details about it have since been revealed with impressions on how it could affect combat.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Crossguard Mod May Be a High-Damage Powerhouse
The crossguard may or may not be a practical or realistic attachment, especially considering the fact that a lightsaber blade would cut through the hilt that the crossguard rests on instantly. That said, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor could see the crossguard emulate Kylo Ren’s ungraceful flurries.
It has been revealed that this stance has longer attack windows and is more weighted, which could suggest that it is a heavy weapon option with strokes that lug the blade around. If so, this could also mean that it deals more damage as a high-risk high-reward for equipping it and knowing that parries or deflections could be more difficult to land. Cal could use the crossguard lightsaber to lunge heavily at enemies and swing weighted overhead attacks that may be interrupted by enemy attacks, which would leave players open if enemies are particularly fast or numerous.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order did not feature a stamina bar, and it would be a shame if Star Wars Jedi: Survivor did, but having the crossguard attachment implement slower, hefty attacks could be a great way to balance high damage with high vulnerability. It will be interesting to see precisely how the crossguard lightsaber affects combat in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, as well as all the new combat stances the sequel will introduce.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on March 17, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
