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With over 20 playable characters inMortal Kombat 1, it can be challenging to find the best character for you to play. After all, some have challenging mechanics that take longer to understand and utilize. If you’re more interested in learning some quick combos and having a straightforward game plan, you’ll want to know which characters to try.
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Luckily, you encounter multiple characters that don’t make things too challenging in this game. Remember that just because they’re the easiest doesn’t mean they’re bad characters. These characters are easy to pick up and learn, but you can put in the time to master them, which gives you room for improvement.
Kung Lao
It comes as no surprise that the first character you play as in Story Mode is one of the easiest. Kung Lao is ajack of all trades, great at doing a bit of everything, but not outstanding in any of the categories. For instance, you can throw your hat as a projectile.
Projectile management can be challenging with some characters, since you must learn the timing to get a feel for when you can launch an attack again. However,Kung Lao’s hat will reappear on his head, letting you know when you can perform that move again.
Kung Lao alsohas a really easy reset with his Kung-Kussionmove if you enhance it. That means you may start a combo string, stop before the last hit, and transition into the enhanced version.
From there, the character will start to fall to the ground, allowing you todash in and perform another combo and attack. His moveset doesn’t end there, with his torpedo move as an excellent get-off-me attack and his Shaolin Shimmy as a combo ender.
If you’re looking for someone who candeal with most situations and has easy-to-land combos, you can’t go wrong with Kung Lao.
Kitana
This is a fun character if you want to have an option for multiple situations. For instance, you canthrow your fans to keep opponents off of youwhile setting up traps with your upward fan throws if they try to jump in. you may also place Wind Bomb on the ground, giving you a free air combo if the enemy gets hit.
Kitana does a great job of teaching you how to zone with your fans whilelooking for opportunities to perform your own combos. This is thanks to her Fan-Nado attack, which lets you perform a string, use it on them, then finish it with an air combo.
Kitana offers plenty of flexibility for multiple playstyles, making her appealing to various players. You even haveSquare Wave as an excellent way to move through the air and on the ground.
She’s not reliant on enhanced attacks, allowing you to save your meter for combo breaks or to enhance other moves as needed. She synergizes well with many Kameo Fighters, since she can fight up close or far away.
If you love the idea oflearning your opponent and adjusting your playstyle to counter them, you’ll enjoy Kitana.
Related:Mortal Kombat 1: FAQ Guide
Raiden
Playing as a lightning-wielding character is always a blast, so why not see what Raiden offers? You haveElectric Orb as a projectile, which allows you to charge it. That means if the enemy is playing defensively, you’re able to apply pressure with this move.
Raiden also has some solid solo combos, thanks to his Shocker ability. This move lets himelectrocute the enemy after a string, slamming them into the ground, and allowing you to continue the combo. You can only do this if you enhance the move.
The Electric Fly move is also a great way toclose the distance between you and your opponent. On the other hand, if you need a bit of space, use your teleport to move, giving you more options and a way to escape the corner.
Raiden does a great job of letting you deal a good amount of damage whileproviding the tools necessary to fix your mistakes. Because of that, he’s less punishing while still giving you anything needed to take out your foes quickly.
If you love the idea ofstrong combos alongside various ways to keep yourself alive during a round, give Raiden a try.
Baraka
While having characters with multiple tools can be a ton of fun, sometimes, you want to play a rush-down character, like Baraka. You have someleaping moves to help you close the distance between you and the opponent. Many of your attacks combo into your specials as well, allowing you to deal tons of damage.
To illustrate this point, yourenhanced Baraka Barrage launches enemies, making it easy for you to extend your combos. You can then perform more strings and end it with a Stab Stab, making the most of your damage. It’s also an excellent anti-air ability if the enemy tries to jump into you, allowing you to stop counter-attacks.
Baraka has somefast normal attacks with excellent range, giving him an easier time landing hits as you try different strings. Focus on moves that use his bladed arms, so you’ll maximize the distance and can apply pressure to your enemies.
Baraka can struggle to get in at times, but you can cover that issue with Kameos. For instance, Kung Lao has a projectile, a launcher to extend combos, and a teleport to help you past projectiles.Kano can be a great optionto call on his long-range moves as you need them.
If you want tostay in your opponents face while performing tons of combos, you’ll want to give Baraka a shot.
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Liu Kang
Liu Kang is another excellent example of usingboth your long and close-range moves to take down opponents. You can use his Cosmic Flame and Low Dragon abilities to force opponents to attack you. However, he doesn’t have an effective way to cover enemies from above, so you’ll want to defend in these scenarios.
Even though you have these fire projectiles,you also have quick specials and normals, making it easy for you to perform combos. For instance, an enhanced Dragon’s Tail attack can knock people into the air and let you continue your combos.
Liu Kang does struggle a bit against enemies at mid-range, since his long-range attacks won’t come out fast enough to stop them. Because of that, you must be ready to block and react to what they do, so you don’t get heavily punished.
You’ll find thatLiu Kang synergizes well with multiple Kameos, so you can go with options to help you maintain your keep-away game or have someone help you get closer to the opponents. A character offering both options can be an ideal pick for you, so experiment with the choices.
For those that want tokeep enemies at bay, but to surprise them with quick powerful attacks, you’ll find Liu Kang to be right at home.
Scorpion
As one of the most popular characters in the series, Scorpion has some useful tools that make him appealing for newcomers. Not only does he have an awesome design, but some fun moves you can use. The iconicSpear is an excellent way for you to extend combos and pull zoners to you.
You also have your Devouring Flame move as an option against people who are spamming projectiles. Thanks to yourFlame-Port that can get you in, you can close the distance with enemiesand catch them off-guard, helping you win fights.
While Scorpion won’t deal the most damage on his own, unless you master his combos, he has somesimple strings that make him easy to pick up. On top of that, his Twisted Kyo ability does good damage, has excellent range, and is a solid combo ender.
Scorpion willperform best with Kameos that can extend his combos, such as Sonya, Cyrax, and anyone else with good juggling. Scorpion can benefit from characters that can close the distance, though he doesn’t have to rely on them.
Pick Scorpion if youwant to catch your enemies off-guard while having potentially deadly combos.
Next:Mortal Kombat 1: Best Character And Kameo Pairings
