Quick Links
- Embrace The Offensive And Defensive Gauges
- Tag Your Moves For A Quick Reference
- Crouch And Block When You Can't Read Your Opponent
- Memorize At Least One Krushing Blow
Since its launch, Mortal Kombat 11 has elevated its reputation as a fighting game series. This transition from campy-gore-fest to campy-gore-fest-with-substance is mainly due to its reworked fighting system. While maintaining a simple approach, MK11 slows down the action and offers plenty of game mechanics that encourage complex strategy.
While all of that sounds great on paper, you may feel lost if your prior experience with the series was ripping your cousin's spine out playing Mortal Kombat 3 in your aunt's living room. (Shout out to the '90s babies who probably shouldn't have played this game and did it anyway!) Luckily, we have a few tips for you to make MK11's fighting system easier to process.
Embrace The Offensive And Defensive Gauges
One of the easiest ways to turn the tide of a battle is employing your defensive and offensive gauges. There are numerous tools you can use with these gauges. Plus, they refill over time, so you don't have to think much about how you're going to replenish them. Considering how strategy-oriented MK11 is, ignoring your gauges is like fighting with your hand tied behind your back. Here's a quick breakdown of the tools available to you and how much they cost.
| Tool | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Amplified Special Move | Amplifies the effects of your special moves. | Costs half of the offensive gauge. |
| Environmental Interactions | Interact with objects on the stage to attack or defend against your opponent. | Costs half of the defensive gauge. |
| Wall Run | Run and jump against the wall when an opponent has you cornered. | Costs half of the defensive gauge. |
| Last Breaths | You can sacrifice your defensive gauge to block your opponent's attacks when you have a sliver of health left. | The first hit permanently depletes half of the defensive gauge. The second hit permanently depletes the second half of your defensive gauge. |
| Getup Attack | After getting knocked down, perform a defensive attack while getting up. | Costs half of the offensive and defensive gauges. |
| Flawless Block Attack | Attacks opponent immediately after performing a flawless block. | Costs half of the offensive and defensive gauges. |
| Amplified Environmental Interactions | Adds armor that absorbs incoming attacks to your environmental interactions. | Costs half of the defensive gauge and one full offensive gauge. |
| Breakaway | Breaks you out of a juggle kombo after getting launched in the air. | Costs one full defensive gauge. |
Your gauges' tools unlock tons of ways to play. For instance, you can play on the offensive and spam those amplified specials. Or you can play on the defensive and punish opponents with flawless block attacks. As long as you stay mindful of what the situation requires and how much of the gauges you're spending, you can't go wrong.
Of course, all these tools are a lot to remember. So it pays to replay the tutorials now and again to refresh yourself and see what tools you are neglecting. However, if you're just getting acquainted with MK11's new gauge system, practising amplified special moves is a great place to start. While they are timing-specific, amplified specials are easy to pull off and remember. Plus, they give you a way to deal quick damage on an opponent, especially on the heels of a basic kombo. You can check which of your character's specials can get amplified in their move list in the pause menu.
Tag Your Moves For A Quick Reference
In the current console generation, Mortal Kombat 11 has one convenient feature that sets it apart from its peers in the genre. However, before you start guessing an assortment of advanced components, like rollback net code and advanced tutorials (Though MK11 does have these things), think again. This neat little feature is the ability to tag moves so that you can view them in the middle of gameplay.
Now, you may think, "Isn't that cheating!?" But, first, give yourself a break. You're learning. Second, displaying move lists on fighting game arcade cabinets is common. Why deprive yourself of the same commodity when playing on a console? After all, it gets frustrating having to pause a fight to look back at the move list or blank in an online match when trying out a new fighter. NetherRealm Studios gave you this advantage, so use it!
You can tag up to ten moves at a time. To start, it's a good idea to tag your special moves first. Special moves are relatively easy to remember once you use them enough times. Then, use the tagging function to display basic kombos with a low block disadvantage as you become more comfortable with a character's move set. Kombos take more time to learn but are a considerable asset once you get them down. And yes, you can tag a fatality in there too.
Crouch And Block When You Can't Read Your Opponent
Let's face it, playing defense in a fighting game isn't nearly as fun as getting on the offensive. Still, defense is vital and will elevate your gameplay considerably. Blocking becomes more challenging to pull off when you're not anticipating a drawn-out super combo. So, how can you guarantee more successful blocks?
Effective blocking happens when you correctly anticipate an opponent's attack and react accordingly. For example, in MK11, a crouching block will protect you against high, medium, and low attacks. Meanwhile, you can only block overhead attacks with a standing guard. This concept sounds simple enough but becomes complex once you deal with an opponent that effectively mixes these attacks into a kombo string.
When you find yourself in these harrowing situations, remember probability is on your side. After all, most of the attacks you'll face in MK11 are low, medium, and high. Likewise, overhead attacks are in the minority. So, when your opponent strikes, start your defensive with a crouching block. In addition, overheads have a longer start-up animation, so you'll have a chance to recognize the attack and transition into a standing guard.
Memorize At Least One Krushing Blow
Krushing Blows are awesome. These offensive manoeuvres are bone-crushing buffs that occur when you perform an attack under specific circumstances. Moreover, every character has a few of them, but they can only get used once per match.
One Krushing Blow that every character can use is the uppercut (down + back punch). When this move interrupts an opponent's high attack, a Krushing Blow gets activated. Not only will the uppercut induce more damage, but it will also launch your opponent into the air for a possible juggle kombo.
As you can see from our example, Krushing Blows are very helpful when used at the right time. Therefore, it's in your best interest to know what conditions activate your character's Krushing Blows. Remembering the uppercut blow is a good start. However, getting a handle on one more Krushing Blow specific to your character is even better. This way, you can start developing strategies unique to your character and surprise opponents who will likely anticipate the uppercut Krushing Blow.
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