Mortal Kombat X Beginner’s Guide to Game Modes, Combat, Variations, and More

Mortal Kombat X is out, and a new wave of brutal fighting has begun. This time around there are different variations of each character, adding more fighting options. Brutalities have also come back in this generation, and some are very hard to pull off.

Veterans and beginners alike can use help getting started with the changes made to the game, and I’m here to help you. This guide is only the beginning so be sure to keep an eye out for more Mortal Kombat X content.

This guide will cover the basics of Mortal Kombat X including:

• Game Mechanics – Basics on how this fighting game works.
• Game Modes – The different games modes and what you can do in them.
• Kombos – Tips on completing and making your own. What is Mortal Kombat without spelling something with a “K”? 

Game Mechanics

The tutorial mode does a great job at introducing you to the controls if you are new to Mortal Kombat X; even veteran players should give it a look. I won’t go over the basic controls in this guide, but I will give an overview on the fighting system and some advanced techniques.

Variations

Each character has 3 variations to choose from that change the play style of the character. This gives you even more options when choosing a character.

• Each character will have many attacks available in each variation.
• Each variation will have unique special moves, and sometimes combos and attacks.
• Try out each variation to find which you like best!

Meter and Meter Burn

This game has a meter at the bottom of your screen that you use for different things. 

• 1 bar – Enhance. This lets you do a stronger version of your special moves. 
• 2 bars – Breaker. This lets you stop, or “break,” the opponent’s combo.
• 3 bars – X – Ray. This is a very strong attack that shows a cut scene in battle.
• Each character’s X-ray is unique and may require different positioning to use it.

When you fill up you meter bars, you can do the above techniques. You also can do lower techniques if you have more than the required amount of meter.

• For example – If you have 2 bars, you can still use and Enhanced super attack. It will use 1 bar and you will have 1 bar left.

It is a good idea to save at least 2 bars if you can so you can always break out of a combo.

Advanced Techniques

• Reversal Attack – Perform a special move right after blocking.
• Wakeup Attack – Perform a special move after being knocked down.
• Tech Roll – Press any punch or kick button on knock down impact.
• This allows you to roll away and create distance when you get up.
• Delayed Wakeup – Hold down when you get knocked down.
• This delays your character from getting up to throw off the opponent.
• Finishing Moves – These are done after you’ve won the match or as you are winning.
• Fatalities – After the match is over, input a series of buttons to complete the finishing move.
• Brutalities – Each one has special conditions. They involve using a special move in a certain way on the last hit of the match. Check out my Brutality guides, Part 1 and Part 2, for details on doing them.

Factions

Factions are pretty important in Mortal Kombat X. There is a constant war going on between all 5 factions and you gain faction points for playing the game.

• When you level up your faction, you unlock Faction Kills, which are special finishing moves only available to your faction.
• You can unlock special rewards if your faction wins, so be sure to contribute to you faction by playing a bunch.

The game has built-in videos for each faction and you can change at anytime. When you do, you lose your faction progress and start over. Below are the 5 factions in the game.

• Lin Kuei – Formed by Sub-Zero, they now focus on protecting Earthrealm. Only the strongest fighters can call themselves Lin Kuei.

• Black Dragon – a Criminal organization that is very violent. All members of Black Dragon are wanted by the Special Forces.

• Special Forces – the Military group that now fights to defend the world. They use advanced technology to neutralize threats.

• White Lotus – Secret order formed by Raiden and the Shaolin for the best martial artists in the world. They train for the Mortal Kombat tournament.
• Brotherhood of Shadow – Secret organization from the Netherrealm that give up free will to serve Shinnok. They use dark magic to revive fallen warriors.

Game Modes

Single Player

• Story – Play through the campaign. You play as different characters depending on what is happening in the story.
• There are quick time events, so pay attention during cut scenes.
• Complete story to unlock Shinnok.
• Towers – Play through a series of fights with different challenges.
• Living Towers has towers that change hourly, daily, and weekly.
• Single Fight – Simple fights one at a time. You can change characters/ variations and stages at any time. 
• Test Your Luck – Single fights with modifiers.
• Some modifiers include shortening the fighting space, adding ice to your attack, and disabling throws.
• Training – Hone your skills and learn your character.
• You can do simple practice and change what the A.I. does.
• Fatality Practice lets you practice using each character’s Fatalities.

Multiplayer

• Kustom Kombat – Two-player offline mode only that is similar to Test Your Luck, but you can choose the modifiers.
• Test Your Might – Another Two-player mode that lets you break objects with the difficulty rising each time.
• Team Battle – Fight against a team of fighters. You can invite friends to form your own team or search for them in matchmaking.
• They come in 3v3 or 5v5 versions.
• Faction Battles are team battles that pit players of the same faction against players of another faction.
• King Of The Hill – When playing multiple people, the winner stays until defeated.
• Klassic resets health after every match and Survivor does not.
• Tower Battle – Same as offline Towers but you compete for the highest score.
• Krypt – Interactive first-person area where you can spend Koins to unlock various things.
• This includes fatalities, concept art, character skins, and more.

Kombos

This a huge part of fighting games, in general, so it is important to get on it soon. Some variations actually center around doing “chunk damage” instead of combos to get you started, but if you are serious at getting better, you’ll still want to learn how to combo.

First thing you want to do no matter what is go to practice. It is hard to learn a character in the limited time you have in normal matches.

• Look through the move list of your character and try out everything. This includes special moves, combos, and basic attacks.
• Learn the moment of your character and all their attacks. This help you know what will happen when you use it in a real fight.
• Start by learning the basic combos given to you in the game.

This will give you a great start at learning your character, but it is just the beginning. Part of the fun in Mortal Kombat X is learning custom combos. These are combos that you link together yourself.

• Custom combos can involve linking two or more combos listed in-game by using basic attacks, special moves, x-rays, and more.
• You’ll need to practice all of your characters moves to find out which moves/combos can be linked together. That’s why practice is so important. 

There are many things you can do with combos, so watch the below video for an example of a custom combo I found when using Kitana.

This wraps up my Beginner’s Guide to Game Modes, Combat, Variations, and More for Mortal Kombat X. Let me know if you have any questions.