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How to tame and ride animals in Star Wars Jedi Survivor

Why go on foot when you can ride?

Besides Cal Kestis’ nifty traversal abilities, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor introduces the ability to ride animals to get around as you explore the galaxy, with some being key to progressing the campaign.

You’ll first come across Nekko, avian-like creatures (i.e. Star Wars Chocobo!) on the planet of Koboh, except you’ll discover that you can’t ride them right away, at least not without taming them first.

This guide will explain how you go about taming and riding animals, what kind of rideable animals are in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and what locations you can find them in.

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Cover image for YouTube videoStar Wars Jedi Survivor - DF Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - Ambitious But Compromised
Star Wars Jedi Survivor - DF Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - Ambitious But Compromised

Animal locations in Star Wars Jedi Survivor

There are three rideable animals in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and they feature in two of the six planets in the game.

The Relter is a winged creature and the first animal you’ll be able to ride. These are found in Koboh and usually in very specific areas used for traversing by air, so they are also used quite specifically.

The Nekko is an avian-like mount that’s also found in Koboh. You’ll be able to tame your first Nekko in an area called Nekko Pools, but you’ll also find many wandering around in the wild. They’re also the only animal that you can take to the stables in Rambler’s Reach to keep, so if there’s one of a certain colour you’re particularly fond of, be sure to bring it back to the stables.

The Spamel is a tall camel-like creature with legs as long as an AT-AT, which makes it a very agile mount for riding across the desert of Jedha where it’s found. You’ll unlock it as part of the story when you first arrive on the planet of Jedha shortly after meeting up with Merrin.


Need some assistance with Chamber puzzles? Check out our walkthroughs for the Chamber of Clarity, Chamber of Reason, and Chamber of Duality. We also have guides to help you learn how to get into the Forest Array and solve the Crypt of Uhrma puzzle. Want to travel in style? Then you can learn how to tame and ride animals. If you want to upgrade your weapons, we can show you how get the Quickdraw Blaster and the Crossguard Stance too. Upgrades like this may come in handy when you need a strategy for defeating the Rancor.


How to tame and ride animals in Star Wars Jedi Survivor

Although you can’t immediately tame a Nekko when you first arrive on Koboh, the good news is that the taming ability is unlocked as you progress through the story of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and it happens on the same planet.

This happens as you reach an area in Koboh called the Forest Array. As you progress through this section, you’ll eventually encounter another animal called a Relter, a flying creature that you can also ride. Here you’ll be prompted to tame the Relter simply by pressing R1/RB. It’s the same button as using your Jedi mind powers basically but without an additional input.

After this, you will be able to summon a Nekko or Spamel by just pressing R1/RB when one is near you. Then just approach the animal and click on the right stick to mount it and dismount by pressing Circle/B.

Using a Relter is a slightly different process as you only have to tame the very first one. After that, you’ll find Relters floating at designated spots in Koboh. To ride one, you just have to stand beneath them and then jump to grab its talons and then it will take to the air.

Relters are controlled more like gliders as they gradually descend the longer you’re riding on their talons. You can use the analogue stick to control them to glide across large parts of the map to areas that might be otherwise unreachable. There are also occasions where you will pass updrafts that increase your altitude.

Nekko are useful for traversing up slippery inclines such as ones with water flowing down that Cal cannot traverse by himself. You can also use them to double jump, which Cal can use to get extra height to reach platforms he otherwise can’t reach himself.

You can also fight when riding a Nekko, swinging your lightsaber with Square/X to cut down stormtroopers and other enemies. Once you unlock the blaster stance later in the game, you can also use it for ranged combat by pressing Triangle/Y.

A Spamel is essential for crossing Jedha’s harsh desert, and you can click on the left stick so that it can sprint, a function that is unlocked as you progress in the story. Its size means it can also be handy in combat by running over enemies, although you can also press Square/X to make it trample anything nearby too!

That’s all you need to know about taming and riding animals in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. While you won’t encounter them that much throughout your journey, their addition certainly adds variety on top of all the cool wall-running and air-dashing Cal will be doing. There’s plenty of fun ways of getting around in this galaxy!