Yes, you read that correctly: Mortal Kombat 11 will be getting raids in a future title update, developer NetherRealms Studio has confirmed.
In this week’s Kombat Kast live stream the team gave us our first look at this ambitious new co-op game mode. You can catch it around the fifteen minute mark.
Team Raids is a completely new way of playing Mortal Kombat alongside friends instead of going up against them in bloody, one on one battles.
In teams of three you’ll be battling a supercharged version of the MK11 roster. These raid battles happen in real time though you’ll all be on separate fight lines and will only be able to see each other’s health bars. What this means is that when you deal damage to your opponent your fellow fighters will be able to see this happen as you all contribute to wear down their health bar.
Needless to say, this is a very different way of framing co-operative play in fighting games. Typically we’re used to seeing tag team battles though Team Raids clearly takes inspiration from MMORPGs, as references by the developers.
These raid battles won’t be a cakewalk, however. The characters you face off with are much harder to kill and come tagged with perk-like modifiers that give them certain advantages, forcing players to think tactically. Luckily, you have five shared lives to use.
Timed challenges will also trigger during these fights and if every team member completes them you’ll all be rewarded with some kind of buff, helping to turn the tables on your overpowered opponent. According to NetherRealm, these aren’t particularly hard though require some thought and co-ordination. A couple of examples include standing in a marked stage zone or jumping three times.
Like other game modes, Team Raids will offer up rewards for those who take part. A results screen at the end of each fight will also give teams an insight into who performed best.
It’s a strange yet exciting addition to what is already a fighting game packed with cool ideas. NetherRealm plans to add Team Raids in the next title update though there’s no confirmed release date right now.
If you watch through the latest Kombat Kast you’ll also see the developers discuss significant changes to MK11’s meta. Previously, ranked play only allowed for two prescribed variations for each character instead of letting players customise their own movesets. NetherRealm isn’t completely removing these restrictions though each character will soon receive another variation that’s viable in competitive play.
