Mortal Kombat 11 provides players with a gruesome and exhilarating experience, alongside a technically deep fighting game. Paired with the epic story, Mortal Kombat 11 is one of the most popular fighting games available now. With enough single-player content for casual players and a variety of online game modes for competitive players, the game appeals to all facets of the fighting game audience.
No matter what kind of player you are, whether it be a single-player focused gamer or a competitive fighting game enthusiast, Mortal Kombat 11 can be a difficult game to pick up and succeed at. This guide will provide some general tips and tricks to improve any player’s game in Mortal Kombat 11. And improve your experience in either single-player or multiplayer game modes.
Learning Strings in Mortal Kombat 11
One of the most important lessons to learn in any Nether Realm fighting game, is the memorization of your character’s strings. Strings are the combination of button inputs that cause certain combo attacks to occur. These are the lifeblood of Mortal Kombat 11, games will be won or lost by a player’s knowledge of his strings.
It is important to know which strings are vital for your character to succeed and which ones are less strong. Knowing not to use certain strings in a match will prevent any careless mistakes being made during a match. Most characters in Mortal Kombat will have maybe five or six go-to strings, that are the most important to utilize. These may be mixed up heavy combinations, high damage strings, or combo starters and should be practiced and memorized. The other strings left may have some niche application, but will not be as valuable as the ones mentioned above. Knowing which and under what situation a string should be used is a valuable skill when facing high level CPUs or strong players online.
Learning the Wake-Up Mechanics in Mortal Kombat 11
The wake-up mechanics in Mortal Kombat 11 are powerful special moves that can be performed when getting up from any knockdown. Mastering these moves will improve your defense, while teaching players how to counter these moves, improving their offense.
There are three different wake-up moves: the invincible wake up, the anti-air wake-up and the delayed wake-up. Each provides an important piece the the “rock, paper, scissors” style offense which is present in Mortal Kombat 11.
The first of these wake-ups is the invincible wake-up. This move is performed by pressing the up direction and the X button on PS4 or the A button on Xbox One, while your character gets up from a knockdown. This move has full invincibility from grounded attacks, allowing you to escape enemy pressure when getting up. This move may seem powerful, but it does not have invincibility to air attacks and is extremely punishable when it misses. It is important to learn how to punish players who abuse this move, while also noting to mix up your use of this move.
The anti-air wake-up, as its name implies, has upper body invincibility, this means invincibility to airborne attacks. This is a powerful answer to jumpy opponents and can lead to a full combo. However, the move is not invincible to grounded attacks and can be extremely punishable. Learning to utilize this move only when an opponent is jumping can be the difference between a clutch anti-air moment and a devastating punish combo.
The most ignored wake up option is the delay wake up. This is an option that is the most underutilized in online play. This move delays your characters wake up for a slight moment, before eventually getting off of the ground like normal. This is the safest option, as it allows you to miss an overly aggressive player’s pressure, and perhaps even punish such an aggressive play style. It also throws off your opponents’ rhythm by delaying the flow of your wake-up game. An expert with this technique can rob an overly aggressive player through a few well-placed delay wake-ups, and should be implemented into any player’s game plan.
Memorizing Other Character’s Strings in Mortal Kombat 11
Similar to the first tip, this suggestion is meant to increase your defensive skills, by studying enemy offense. By learning other character’s options, a player may expand their ability to punish seemingly safe strings or the ability to recognize any mixed up heavy strings done by that character.
In a more advanced application of this tip, this may allow players to learn what strings certain characters have that are “flawless blockable.” A flawless block is a well-timed block that places players in an extremely advantageous situation. This skill turns any “safe string” into a highly punishable skill. And by learning which strings have a flawless gap, may make a difficult matchup and extremely winnable one. Mastering this skill places any player on the right path to a successful online or single-player career. And may separate them from their peers.
Practice Makes Perfect in Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 has a wide variety of different mechanics and abilities, which makes the game both a complicated and deep fighting game experience. From the memorization of character combos to the variety of wake up options, becoming a master in Mortal Kombat requires practice and training. To truly separate yourself from a less skilled player, learning and training is the only method to do so. Whether it be a dedication to learning the match-up or mastering ways to overwhelm with a powerful offense, the only way to truly master Mortal Kombat is to put in the time in training mode.
Any player who diligently practices these tips will find an obvious increase in their skill level before and after applying these tricks in their game plan. To become an expert in whatever game mode you choose in Mortal Kombat 11, practice is the one and only way to truly improve. Apply these tips to your play style and you’ll soon become a truly flawless Mortal Kombatant.
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Mortal Kombat 11 is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
