Animalities Return in Mortal Kombat 1’s New Khaos Reigns Expansion

NetherRealm Studios has announced Khaos Reigns, a major story expansion for Mortal Kombat 1, launching on 24 September 2024 alongside six new DLC Fighters and the long-awaited return of Animalities.

Unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con on 26 July, the expansion continues Liu Kang’s New Era storyline as the ruthless Titan Havik threatens to spread chaos across multiple timelines.

The new cinematic campaign forces Liu Kang to rally his champions against the invading Titan, including characters whose allegiances may not align with his vision of peace.

Khaos Reigns also introduces Kombat Pack 2, featuring six playable Fighters split between returning Mortal Kombat characters and three guest appearances.

Noob Saibot, Cyrax and Sektor will be available when the expansion launches on 24 September.

All three have been reimagined for the New Era. Noob Saibot is revealed as Bi-Han, the former Lin Kuei Grandmaster and Sub-Zero, whose soul has been corrupted by Titan Havik.

Meanwhile, Cyrax and Sektor return as female Lin Kuei warriors, each with a different outlook on the clan’s future.

The remaining three Fighters are Ghostface from Scream, the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Conan the Barbarian.

These guest characters will arrive after the expansion’s release, with individual launch dates still to be confirmed.

The T-1000 will feature the likeness and voice of Robert Patrick, while Conan uses Arnold Schwarzenegger’s likeness from the 1982 film.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the return of Animalities, the animal-transformation finishing moves first introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 in 1995.

Animalities allow a victorious Fighter to transform into an animal or other creature before delivering a particularly gruesome finishing blow.

The announcement trailer showcases several transformations, including Scorpion becoming a scorpion and Mileena turning into a monstrous praying mantis.

NetherRealm has confirmed that every playable Fighter will receive an Animality, including downloadable guest characters.

More importantly, Animalities will arrive on 24 September as a free content update for everyone who owns Mortal Kombat 1. Players won’t need to purchase Khaos Reigns or Kombat Pack 2 to use them.

That’s the part of the announcement I find especially significant. The paid expansion introduces the new story and Fighters, but one of the series’ most recognisable finishing-move systems is being made available to the entire player base.

For those interested in the individual transformations and their button inputs, GLN also has a dedicated Mortal Kombat 1 Animalities guide.

Khaos Reigns will cost £39.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a lower price announced for Nintendo Switch. The expansion includes the story campaign and all six Kombat Pack 2 Fighters, although the three guest characters will arrive later.

Kombat Pack 2 won’t be sold separately as a complete character bundle, meaning players wanting the entire second Fighter lineup will need the expansion package.

Pre-orders also include four bonus character skins: Wedding Scorpion, Empress Mileena and classic Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 appearances for Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot.

NetherRealm has another free addition available immediately: the MK95 Scorpion skin, based on his appearance in the 1995 live-action Mortal Kombat film.

The announcement comes just days after Takeda’s gameplay reveal, which marked the final playable Fighter from the original Kombat Pack.

With Khaos Reigns, NetherRealm is moving directly into another year of story content and downloadable characters, while the return of Animalities gives existing players something substantial to look forward to without an additional purchase.

Later Update: NetherRealm subsequently released the Cyrax gameplay trailer for Khaos Reigns, revealing her combat abilities, powered armour and Fatality ahead of the September expansion.