Start by Sticking With One Character
Tips and Tricks for Mortal Kombat 11
Once you start playing around with the 25 character roster in Mortal Kombat 11, we encourage you to find one character who you feel comfortable with; a character that you enjoy playing as, or just someone who is easy to play for you.
Try to stick to using that one character as much as you can so you can really perfect their catalog of moves.
You can pin their kombos to the fight screen so that you can take a look at their moves whenever you feel necessary and you can also head into the tutorial section to learn more about their skillsets.
Once you get a pretty good grasp on their moves and abilities, take it a step further and memorize their special powers and Fatalities.
Try testing yourself in training mode and see if you can attempt to execute every move flawlessly. You’ll become an expert in using that character and then once you feel comfortable, find a second character to train with, and then a third.
The more you focus on one character at a time, the better you’ll be –take our word for it.
Pin Those Moves
Tips and Tricks for Mortal Kombat 11
Like we mentioned earlier, in Mortal Kombat 11, each character in the roster has knowledge of many different skills, abilities, and special moves. These can be all found during matches if you press the pause button and go into the move list section. There you will find listings and instructions on how to perform basic attacks, Kombos, special moves, Fatalities, and Brutalities.
Most of the special moves take at least two or three button inputs to perform, which can be a bit tricky to remember if you’re just starting out.
Like how are we really supposed to memorize hundreds of moves for all of these characters? In the past well you just had to git gud. But it’s 2019 and things are easier for the rookies now.
Back in the move list menu, you can highlight any attack at all and “tag” the move with a press of a button (triangle on PS4 for example), allowing you to see the button commands on the screen during your match.
You can tag up to ten of them, letting you unleash special moves and Kombos without having to go back and forth from the move menu.
Don’t Forget About the Offensive and Defensive Bars
Tips and Tricks for Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 is all about kicking ass and taking names, and what better way to do that than to power up your special moves.
That’s right, every character has some special moves that can be strengthened and powered up in battle by amplifying them by using your offensive bar.
The offensive bar sits on the bottom left of the fight screen and allows you to add some extra power to a special move by pressing the R1/RB/R (depending on your console of choice) immediately after inputting the special move command.
This will give your attack a power boost that sometimes can also be key for delivering a long Kombo attack.
Right above the offensive bar is also a defensive bar, allowing you to break free from grabs, get up off of the ground quickly and forcefully, and several other moves that can keep you safe from harm’s way.
Learning how to use these defensive bar moves will be of utmost importance if you want to get the upper hand in combat, so definitely check out our more in-depth guide on that.
Save Your Fatal Blow For When You Really Need It
Tips and Tricks for Mortal Kombat 11
Fatal Blows can make or break your matches in Mortal Kombat 11. These uber-powerful special attacks can only be performed with a button prompt once the health of your character gets into the “Kritical” zone, which is the last fourth of the health bar.
By pressing the back two shoulder buttons at the same time, you can perform a Fatal Blow, which is sort of a lesser version of Fatalities and Brutalities. Using these can save you in a time of peril, but the trick is –you can only use one of these attacks per match.
It becomes hard to resist using the attack on the first round of a match, but unless you feel like you’re definitely going to die, try to save it for another round –it’ll make for a much more satisfying win.
Practice Moves and Fatalities
Tips and Tricks for Mortal Kombat 11
Getting used to the Fatality commands for every character might prove to be difficult if you’re just starting out, but thankfully, there is a way to make Fatalities a little bit easier to perform.
By using Easy Fatality Tokens, you’ll be able to perform Easy Fatalities (found in the quick reference menu during a match), letting you trade in your precious items to use Fatalities with only a press of two buttons.
Unfortunately, Fatality Tokens are hard to come by as they must be purchased with Time Crystals.
You unlock Time Crystals by playing through the different modes of MK11, but you can also purchase these crystals with real-world currency. These are hard to come by, so we advise you to not rely on these, but instead, to practice Fatalities in the learning section.
Not only is there an extensive tutorial section in Mortal Kombat 11 for practicing kombos and strategies, but there’s also a training section simply focused on using Fatalities.
Executing Fatalities during a match is a visual treat and showcases the most powerful moves at every fighter’s disposal. Every character has more than one Fatality and Brutality attack with each one requiring precise button commands to pull off.
Just as important as that though is that preforming fatalities is a consistent way to farm hearts, which you’ll want lots of to get special skins from the Krypt.
The Fatalities range from being far, mid, and close, specifying how far you have to be away from your opponent before you can end their life.
Since Fatalities can only occur after a fighter has been knocked out, there’s no penalty for being unable to perform them, they just look cool, but sometimes there might be daily challenges that you should always be on the lookout for.