While the game isn’t out until later tonight, the Mortal Kombat 11 progression loop has already caught flak from around the internet. Progressing and earning gear has been widely criticized for being overly grindy but NetherRealm is planning to address this in an upcoming pre-launch update. While specifics were not given, the studio said it hopes it will out as soon as possible.
Tyler Lansdown, community manager at NetherRealm, addressed this on the recent Shao Kahn and Frost Kombat Kast.
“We are continually optimizing Mortal Kombat 11 based on player feedback,” said Lansdown. “That said, we have seen that there are some players that are struggling with progression, the Towers of Time, and with the Krypt. So we do have a fix rolling out ASAP to address our players who are having those problems to address balance and to address the rewards you get from playing.”
There are two ways to address this: full patches and “tweak vars.” Full patches are what you’d expect: a traditional update that you download that adds or changes parts about the game. Tweak vars are different and allow the team to alter things (like move frame data and how much currency you earn) without pushing out a patch. Some aspects of the game can’t be changed this way. However, it sounds like some or all of these progression improvements will happen via tweak bar (at least initially). And even though it was vague, it appears as though this tweak bar “update” will alter how much experience or currency it takes to grab gear, skins, and more.
Players with early copies of the game lamented this grindy Krypt on Reddit. This caused a bit of a stir since Injustice 2‘s gear also required a grind, but this seemed to be a step beyond that. Mortal Kombat 11‘s microtransactions also gave players pause, as a bigger, elongated grind would give the impression that WB was pressuring people into buying shortcuts.
Mortal Kombat 11 Rejects
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Characters You Won't See in Mortal Kombat 11's Roster
Few fighting game franchises introduce as many new challenges as Mortal Kombat. This can be a blessing, but also a curse. You might get an evergreen warrior with your new addition, or you might get a generic reject. Not everyone can make it into MK11, but these guys definitely won't make the cut. -
Bo' Rai Cho
Perhaps a controversial pick due to his many appearances, but Bo' Rai Cho never felt like a genuinely popular character. His unique moves and drunken demeanor make him stand out, but that goofiness also leads to a clash with the rest of the cast. Mortal Kombat works best when it's as straight-faced as possible, and that means you can't have vomit attacks. -
Drahmin
Introduced in Deadly Alliance. This Netherrealm Oni relies heavily on his spiked club for combat. In the days between the original trilogy and the modern games, Mortal Kombat introduced character specific weapons to stand out. So, while Drahmin had a place back then, he'd need a full redesign to fit in now. -
Khameleon
Khameleon has made two weird appearances in the franchise so far. She was a new character in the N64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Then, after being left out of the "everyone in the pool" Armageddon, she premiered in the Wii version due to fan outrage. It would be very strange to see her pop up again unless she somehow ends up in the Switch version of the game. And that is pretty unlikely. -
Kira
Premiering in Mortal Kombat Deception, Kira is a recruit for the "new Black Dragon." She's a generically heroic character despite her resemblance to an MK version of Harley Quinn. With the Kombat Kids filling the roles of new heroes, we probably won't be seeing much of Kira going forward. -
Kobra
Kobra is Kira's counterpart in Deception. He's a fiery recruit that's most notable for resembling Ken from Street Fighter. Kobra was briefly mentioned in Mortal Kombat X, but only as someone who Erron Black killed before the events of the game. That probably rules him out as a future entrant in the tournament. -
Mavado
Debuting in Deadly Alliance, Mavado uses Kabal's hook swords and grappling hooks in combat. With both Scorpion and Kabal present in Mortal Kombat 11, it'd be hard to fit such a fighting style in without repetition setting in. Plus, in a game filled with flashy ninjas and otherworldly creatures, Mavado is just a dude. -
Sareena
Despite looking like a human, Sareena is actually a demon, and that's the most notable thing about her. She fights with a pair of knives and her only appearance outside of Armageddon was a Game Boy Advance port of Deadly Alliance and a brief cameo in MKX's campaign. She has some story significance, but she'd basically be a new character if they were to bring her back. -
Taven
Taven is one of two new characters introduced in Armageddon's Konquest mode. Since he only appears in Armageddon, he's also one of only two characters who's never had a fatality. There may be some hardcore Konquest fans out there, but considering that his greatest deeds are written out of the current timeline, he's probably not popping up again. -
Tremor
We will admit, Tremor is pretty cool. He's a ninja who controls rocks, making his debut in PlayStation action game Special Forces. His first appearance in the fighting series was as a DLC character in Mortal Kombat X. He might be the most likely candidate for a revival out of these 10, but NetherRealm's ninja quota is probably already spent for 11.
