Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is going to offer players a range of lightsaber skills to use in combat that will make Cal Kestis one of the most skilled Jedi. In Respawn Entertainment's previous Star Wars title, Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal was still a Padawan and was rehoning his skills five years after the Order 66 massacre that decimated the Jedi Order. Jedi: Survivor is set to pick up five years later with Cal as a full-fledged Jedi Knight who has been battling the ever-growing Empire constantly in this time.
As a result, Cal has acquired a variety of new skills in Jedi: Survivor's story that build upon those he learned in Fallen Order, including a variety of lightsaber techniques. There are seven official "forms" of lightsaber combat, as well as the duel-bladed Jar'Kai technique, and Jedi are typically only proficient in one or two, with some such as Mace Windu modifying variants of certain forms due to years of experience and mastery. Cal, however, seems to be proficient in a variety of lightsaber forms, honing his own jack-of-all-trades type of combat style over time that combines several different stances and techniques, making him a powerful adversary in battle.
Cal Already Displayed An Understanding Of Multiple Lightsaber Forms In Jedi: Fallen Order
The first lightsaber combat form, Shii-Cho is the oldest and simplest form of lightsaber combat that balanced traditional maneuvers intent on maiming and killing with a focus on disarming an armed foe or maneuvering enemies into range using Force abilities such as Force Push or Force Pull. Shii-Cho was popular among most Padawans in the Jedi Order due to its simplicity, so Cal's core techniques in Jedi: Fallen Order largely stemmed from this, but Cal already displayed a level of mastery of other forms throughout the game's campaign.
As noted by the Second Sister during their first encounter, Cal's training has leaned more toward the sixth lightsaber form, Niman, which saw a balance between offense and defense, but leaned more toward the defensive side, with extensive integration of Force powers. Cal's use of Niman extends beyond the fighting style that it offers as his character seems to live by the Code that Niman is based on, which is to use the Force for peace and try to resolve situations diplomatically before resorting to combat. Cal also incorporates more techniques from the more acrobatic second and fourth forms, Makashi and Ataru, primarily in his dodging, as well as his Parkour-esque traversal methods.
Jedi: Survivor Combat Furthers Cal's Lightsaber Mastery
In the latter parts of Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal damages his lightsaber, which was given to him by his deceased master Jaro Tapal, and repairs it by combining it with former Jedi Knight and mentor Cere Junda's to create a unique three-in-one weapon. This new lightsaber could be used as a traditional, single-bladed weapon, a Darth Maul-esque double-bladed weapon, or could be split into two separate lightsabers similar to those wielded by Ahsoka Tano. The latter two variants allowed Cal to incorporate more of the Jar'Kai fighting style, and in Jedi: Survivor, Cal can be seen using Jar'Kai far more proficiently, swapping between the various lightsaber forms with ease.
Whereas the Jar'Kai duel-wield techniques were limited to special moves in Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal will be able to swap between a variety of lightsaber stances a la Ghost of Tsushima's katana combat situationally to fight different enemy types and situations in Jedi: Survivor. Respawn has avoided a classic sequel problem with Jedi: Survivor by letting players start with and switch between all three versions of his lightsaber from the game's outset, rather than re-learning skills and techniques to further showcase just how powerful Cal has become in the five years between the two titles.
Cal can later go on to unlock a further Kylo Ren-styled crossguard lightsaber, and will also be able to combine his lightsaber and Force skills with a blaster in Jedi: Survivor. This gives Cal a total of five different core fighting styles, each combining various lightsaber forms to make him one of the most versatile Jedi in the franchise. Whereas this could be simply attributed to typical video game mechanics and fan service, with Respawn wanting to include a variety of lightsaber styles fans will appreciate from other forms of Star Wars media, one of the reasons Cal has been able to become this powerful is due to his strength as a character.
Cal's Character Allows Him To Grow Stronger In Fallen Order & Survivor
In Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal learned to take control of his emotions, combating the guilt and the fear he felt during the Jedi Purge. A huge part of Cal's journey has been learning from past mistakes and embracing the of his allies like Merrin, who helped him after he experienced a disturbing vision of his former master that stemmed from his feelings of guilt and resulted in the destruction of his lightsaber, or the aforementioned Cere Junda who helped him repair and improve it to become the improved weapon he has in Jedi: Survivor.
Cal's mastery of multiple lightsaber forms and the Force would conceivably put him in the upper echelon of lightsaber s among the Jedi Order by the time of Jedi: Survivor. Other Star Wars characters such as Anakin Skywalker got corrupted by the desire for power, which led them to the dark side. Cal, however, seems to have resisted this temptation thanks to his past training under Jaro Tapal which ensured he focused on his goal and avoid distractions.
This training, , and experience has allowed Cal to grow his skillset as much as he has without succumbing to the dark side. This is the case even when using somewhat more aggressive lightsaber and Force tactics often seen by those who channel the dark side of the Force, such as Force Slow, which freezes his opponents momentarily to give him the upper hand in battle as he strikes them down with his lightsaber, turning his enemy's tactics against them.
It's yet to be seen how Cal will progress beyond the events of Jedi: Survivor, especially given how the Jedi seemed to have become somewhat dormant by the events of A New Hope several years later. With such a vast array of Force skills and a lightsaber combat style that has accumulated moves from across nearly every lightsaber form, however, it's clear that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is setting Cal up to be one of the most skilled and powerful Jedi in the franchise.
Source: EA Star Wars/YouTube
