Big Mortal Kombat 11 patch takes aim at the scourge of Geras
It's about time.
Anyone who's into the competitive side of Mortal Kombat 11 will know of the scourge of Geras.
This time-wielding monster is one of the most powerful characters in the game - some say overpowered - and a lot of that has to do with his speed, huge damage, throw loops and easy to trigger Krushing Blows. He's been nerfed a few times since Mortal Kombat 11 came out in April 2019, but most players agree these had little impact on his power.
The latest Mortal Kombat 11 balance patch tries once again to nerf Geras. Some of his moves have added startup frames, effectively slowing his down. His Matter Of Time combo - perhaps his best - (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch) now has 25 startup frames (up from 20) and recovers three frames slower, which makes it less effective. His Time Splash (Jump Down + Back Punch) now has 5 less frames of blockstun, which should make it more risky as a meaty.
Here's the damage:
- Titan Charge (Getup / Block Attack Up + Back Punch) now has 9 startup frames (up from 6)
- Time Splash (Jump Down + Back Punch) now has 5 less frames of blockstun
- The Deathless Giant (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch) now has 4 more frames of hit advantage, 5 less frames of recovery on hit, and its cancel frame occurs 1 frame later
- Matter Of Time (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch) now has 25 startup frames (up from 20) and recovers 3 frames slower
- Sand Trap and Quick Sand causes 5 less frames of blockstun when it is Flawless Blocked
- Temporal Advantage hit region slightly adjusted when opponent is in a combo
So, Geras is slapped hard here, but developer NetherRealm has also changed the way Krushing Blows work - and that affects Geras, too.
Characters that have Escape Failed Krushing Blows on both Toward and Back throws can now only use one throw Krushing Blow per match. Geras, who ever since Mortal Kombat 11 came out has been criticised for the ease with which he can trigger his Krushing Blows for huge damage, falls into this category. Double ouch.
Does all this mean Gera is all of a sudden a weak character? Not likely. But should he still be considered the game's most powerful character? Probably not.
Elsewhere, there are nerfs to jump kicks, nerfs to the teleports for Cetrion and Skarlet, and armour on Fatal Blow attacks now start up in eight frames (up from five), the latter of which should make wakeup Fatal Blows less viable.
The update is live now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. NetherRealm said it'll hit PC, Nintendo Switch and Stadia (remember that?) at a later date.