Mortal Kombat 11 is arguably a great jumping on point for beginners and older players who haven’t picked up a title in the long-running series for a while, with its time-bending storyline and highly polished fighting mechanics. With any game, though, there’s bound to be a learning curve involved and Mortal Kombat 11 is no exception.

The difference between Mortal Kombat 11 and other games, however, is that a lot of vital tricks to succeeding at or making the game a somewhat easier experience are hidden beneath the surface. This isn’t really new to a Mortal Kombat game, either, but this most recent iteration does a few things differently. With that in mind, there are a few different things players can do this time around, from completing early tasks to unlock skins for each character to making some of the difficulty away from some of oft-frustrating Towers of Time mode.

Some of these Mortal Kombat 11 tips and tricks are easier to accomplish than others, but all of them will make the game slightly easier or more enjoyable in the long run. Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of these various Mortal Kombat 11 tips and tricks that you’ll want to know about before booting up the game:

  • Make sure to complete each character tutorial, as it’ll guarantee you a new skin for each. This actually serves two purposes, as the very intuitive tutorials will make you a much better fighter as you learn the ins and outs of each of the quite large roster of characters. Keep an eye on the offensive and defensive meters at the bottom left and right sides of the screen. Holding R1 or RB (depending on your console) and attacking will unleash more powerful attacks while defensive breakaway maneuvers (R2 or RT) will help you recover faster. These meters can deplete, but they will recharge. Use projectile Konsumables in the Living Towers mode, especially with modifiers where it makes it basically impossible to block enemy attacks or buffs. This will increase your chances of winning and make the frustration at least somewhat bearable. Customize character loadouts, as the standard ones may not play to your strengths as a fighter. Completing the aforementioned tutorials first will make customization all the better, as well, as you’ll better understand each character’s strengths and weaknesses. Complete the story mode. This may seem like a no-brainer, but every activity in Mortal Kombat 11 rewards currency and cosmetics, including the story mode. It’s a great way to build some Koins before you head into competitive fighting. Focus on one character at a time for augment slots. Otherwise you’ll be spreading your Koin spending out too thin and end up with a bunch of underpowered fighters. Pick your favorite and grind as much as you can stand toward making them powerful. It’ll pay off in the long run. Though, hopefully this changes with NetherRealm Studios’ promised updates to make things less grindy. Experiment with combos. The move list is great for learning the basics of combat, but there are a ton of hidden combos for each character. Play around with different button combinations and see what wonderfully violent combos you can discover. Complete daily challenges. These are a surefire way to getting Koins and other forms of currency as fast as possible. It will help you in both the Towers and Krypt modes.

While there are certainly other ways to become better at Mortal Kombat 11, the above list of tips and tricks are some of the best ways to turn yourself from a novice to a pro in a short amount of time. Keep in mind that a lot of these tips and tricks won’t help you much in ranked play as NetherRealm has designed it with previously designed character variations to ensure balance.

More: Mortal Kombat 11 Ending Explained (& How To Get All THREE Endings)