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How to do Fatalities and unlock more in Mortal Kombat 11

Fatalities are what makes Mortal Kombat, well, Mortal Kombat. Over-the-top violence has kept players coming back time and time again. Mortal Kombat 11 continues the trend with brand new ways to dismember, disfigure, and disembowel your opponents. Since its release in March of 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 has added handfuls of new fighters into the mix, each with their own unique finishing moves. There’s nothing quite like watching Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo eviscerate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. There is a certain level of skill and memorization tied to pulling off these gruesome finishers. This guide will focus on how to execute fatalities in Mortal Kombat 11 and how to unlock more of them.

How to do a Fatality

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Fatalities can be performed in all of Mortal Kombat 11’s modes, except for story mode. There is a certain boss character you also won’t be able to perform a Fatality on, but we think you’ll be satisfied with the alternative when the moment arises.

A Fatality can only be done after winning a match – two out of three rounds in the fight. At this point, the announcer will say “Finish him!” or “Finish her!” and you will have to perform the correct button sequence to initiate the Fatality. This has to be fairly quick, but you don’t have to do it with the lightning speed of the game’s harder combo attacks.

If you don’t know the correct button sequence for your character, go to the pause menu and select “move list.” From there, go to the “finishing moves” tab, and your Fatalities will all be listed.

Alongside the button sequence, you have to be standing a certain distance from your target. If it says “Close” next to the move, you should be right up against them. If it says “Mid,” you should be a few feet away, and if it says “Far,” you should be several yards away. When you’ve entered it correctly, your controller will vibrate, and you’ll hear a dramatic tune. Enjoy the carnage!

You can also purchase “easy Fatality” tokens via the online store. These cost Time Krystals, which are awarded through normal play and can separately be purchased for real money. Once you have the token, you can perform the easy Fatality you want by holding the right trigger and pressing the button mentioned on the pause menu.

How to unlock more Fatalities

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Keep in mind that you only have access to a single Fatality per character when you begin Mortal Kombat 11, but the good news is, this Fatality isn’t the only one you’ll get throughout each game. Navigate to the move list, and you’ll notice that the second Fatality is locked, and there’s sadly no information telling you how you can get it. Remember that this specific info is hidden somewhere in the game; you just have to discover it using your smarts. 

Head over to the “Kustomize” page from the central menu. This is usually where you go to switch out skins or change your gear. Press RB or R1 to enter the “Kosmetics” tab, and there will be a designated region called “Finishers.” Pick that and then select the locked Fatality. From here (you can see this in the image included above), you should be able to see what you need to do to possess it. 

In our particular case, the Scorpion’s second Fatality can only be found in the Krypt. Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick and straightforward way to achieve this move because you’ll have to open treasure chests and believe you’ll stumble upon what you want. 

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Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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