Summary

• Khaos Reigns expands Mortal Kombat 1 story post-campaign, bringing chaos across timelines.
• Kombat Pack 2 adds six new playable characters, including reimagined versions of Mortal Kombat favorites.
• A free update brings back Animalities from the 90s, which sees characters morphing into beasts for brutal finishers.

Mortal Kombat 1’s much-anticipated story expansion, Khaos Reigns, has been revealed as part of the game's San Diego Comic-Con 2024 alongside a free, nostalgic update that could give players a reason to revisit the 2023 fighting game. Mortal Kombat 1 followed the "good" ending for Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath DLC, which saw Fire God Liu Kang recreate the universe after securing the power to alter the timeline and bring peace to the six realms, giving the series a fresh start in an attempt to welcome newcomers while retaining the lore of the past titles for established fans.

Khaos Reigns is set after the events of the story campaign and centers on the invasion of Titan Havik from an alternate reality, who seeks to spread chaos - or "khaos" - across all of the timelines. Therefore, Liu Kang must rally his champions and put faith in his enemies to defeat this new threat, or else the New Era will be reduced to anarchy.

The Khaos Reigns Expansion Is Bundled With A New Kombat Pack

Six New Playable Characters Are ing Mortal Kombat 1

The Khaos Reigns expansion also comes with Kombat Pack 2, which adds six more fighters to the game, much like Kombat Pack 1, which featured three Mortal Kombat characters and three guest fighters from other media alongside several Kameo characters. The three Mortal Kombat characters in Kombat Pack 2 are reimagined versions of characters who also play a part in Khaos Reigns' story mode - and will be playable upon the DLC's launch -, such as fan favorite ninja Noob Saibot - who claims that Havik "perfected" him in the trailer - and the now female Sektor and Cyrax.

As for the three nostalgic crossover guest fighters, whereas Kombat Pack 1 included Invincible's Omni-Man, DC's Peacemaker, and The Boys' Homelander, Kombat Pack 2 will include Conan the Barbarian (based on the version played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie), Ghostface from the Scream series, and the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Much like with the previous Kombat Pack, these characters will be coming at a later date, and there’s no confirmed release window for their arrival yet.

Pre-ordering Khaos Reigns also unlocks the following four new skins:

• Wedding Scorpion
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Sub-Zero
• Empress Mileena
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Noob Saibot

Players can't purchase Kombat Pack 2 separately, and the only way to get it is via the Khaos Reigns DLC.

Mortal Kombat 1's Free Update Is Nostalgic

Animalities Are Back, Alongside A '90s-Based Skin

At the same time as Khaos Reigns comes out, Mortal Kombat 1 is receiving a free update that brings back the variant Fatalities called Animalities, which were first introduced back in 1995's Mortal Kombat 3. These kinds of beastial finishing moves involve characters morphing into animals before ripping apart their opponents in classic Mortal Kombat fashion. The Khaos Reigns announcement trailer revealed Mileena transforming into a giant, horrifying praying mantis, for example, a gorilla ripping their opponent in half from the mouth, and a re-animated T-Rex skeleton combing its foe. An accompanying press release also states every playable fighter will have an Animality.

While many players may be able to guess what the Mortal Kombat characters' Animalities may be from previous games, this statement didn't seem to indicate that the crossover-based characters will be left out, suggesting that the likes of Homelander or Ghostface could transform into animals for some brutal takedowns as well.

Mortal Kombat 3 has already featured heavily in the pre-order bonuses for Khaos Reigns, and the free addition of Animalities further show that NetherRealm Studios is looking back to 1995 with its new content. This is the case with further content that those who own Mortal Kombat 1 can access for free now. Accompanying the SDCC and the Khaos Reigns trailer reveal on July 26, the "MK95 Scorpion" skin was added to Mortal Kombat 1 completely free, with the design modeled after the character's appearance in the live-action 1995 Mortal Kombat film.

Mortal Kombat 1's Khaos Reigns and Kombat Pack 2 expansion bundle launches on September 24 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store and will retail for $49.99 on every platform except for Nintendo Switch, where it will cost $39.99. While this pack is set to continue the storyline, there's certainly plenty of free content for those who own the base game to enjoy as well, especially those players who have been nostalgic for the more classic '90s era of the franchise.

Source: Mortal Kombat/YouTube