NetherRealm Releases Server-Side Mortal Kombat 1 Patch

After nine months without a meaningful update, Mortal Kombat 1 has quietly received what may be its final major balance pass. The December 15 update was applied server-side, meaning no download was required. The moment players connect online, the changes are already live.

That alone makes this patch feel different. There was no big build-up, no marketing push, and no roadmap tease. It simply arrived, comprehensive and sweeping, touching almost every corner of the roster, including Kameo fighters.

NetherRealm hasn’t framed this as a “final” update, but the timing is hard to ignore. With DLC support now effectively wrapped up and the studio clearly deep into its next project, this patch reads like a last round of housekeeping. A way to stabilise the meta, address long-standing outliers, and leave the game in a healthier competitive state.

From a high-level perspective, the biggest universal change is the increased risk attached to Kameo usage. Interrupting a Kameo now deals significantly more damage than before, instantly making reckless assists far less attractive. That single tweak alone is likely to reshape neutral play and combo routing across all skill levels.

Character-wise, this is one of the most wide-ranging balance passes Mortal Kombat 1 has seen since launch.

A large portion of the main roster received frame data changes, damage adjustments, hitbox fixes, or system-level tweaks. Several characters benefit from smoother conversions and better consistency, while others have had particularly strong tools toned down. Kameo fighters were not spared either. Cooldowns, invulnerability windows, damage values, and recovery frames were all adjusted, reinforcing the idea that NetherRealm wanted assists to feel powerful but punishable rather than automatic.

I’ve always felt Mortal Kombat 1 played best when decision-making carried real weight, and this patch leans heavily in that direction. Calling assists is riskier, pressure strings are more honest, and defensive reads matter again. Whether this ends up being the game’s final balance pass or not, it’s a solid note to leave things on. Though, with Netflix in the middle of a huge $50B takeover of Warner Bros. Games, fans are wondering what the fate of the iconic fighting is.

NetherRealm recently shadow dropped the Elder God Bundle in November, which includes the MK1, MK11 Ultimate, and MKX XL Definitive Editions and all DLC.

Below are the full, official patch notes for the Mortal Kombat 1 December 15 update, detailing every character and Kameo adjustment in full.

Mortal Kombat 1 December 15, 2025 Balance Update (Official Patch Notes)

General Adjustments

• Interrupting a Kameo with an attack deals 50 damage (up from 20)
• Down + Back Punch has reduced combo damage scaling

Character Specific Adjustments

Main Fighters

Ashrah

• Dark Mode Sins last 50% longer before expiring
• Summoning The Darkness enters duck state 2 frames earlier and recovers 3 frames faster
• Invoking The Light recovers 9 frames faster

Baraka

• Desperate Tarkatan builds meter 50% faster and drains health 50% slower

Kenshi

• Enhanced Rising Karma has no gravity scaling in a combo
• Ancestral Guard Cancel recovers 14 frames faster

Kitana

• Royal Bow (Towards + Front Punch) has 5 more frames of blockstun and recovers 2 frames faster on block & miss
• Unbreakable (Back Punch, Back Kick, Back Punch) hits Overhead (was Mid)
• Head Over Heels (Back Kick, Towards + Back Punch, Back Punch, Back Kick) recovers 4 frames faster and causes 5 more blockstun with slightly increased pushback

Li Mei

• Slightly increased the hit region on Warrior’s Strike (Front Punch), Forces Of Light (Front Punch, Back Punch), Seasoned Warrior (Back Punch, Front Punch), Double Palm (Away + Back Punch), Nova Burst (Away + Back Punch, Front Punch), Rough Zuffa (Back Kick, Front Kick), Clean Sweep (Away + Back Kick), Sliding In (Towards + Back Kick), and Shin Breaker (Down + Back Kick)
• Adjusted hit region on High Heel (Away + Front Kick) when the opponent is crouching
• Slightly increased the hit region on Against The Rope (Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Kick) and Kick Precision (Towards + Back Kick, Front Kick) when opponent is in a combo

Liu Kang

• Enhanced Dragon’s Breath has no gravity scaling in a combo
• Chosen One (Front Kick, Back Punch) starts up 5 frames faster

Nitara

• Bloody Bolt and Enhanced Bloody Bolt start up 5 frames faster and recover 5 frames faster

Raiden

• Electric Charge passively grows over time instead of draining
• Razzle Dazzle and Enhanced Razzle Dazzle start up 2 frames faster. Hold Back Punch during startup to spend Electric Charge and reduce startup by 1 additional frame
• Razzle Dazzle deals 20 more damage and recovers 3 frames faster on hit
• Enhanced Razzle Dazzle deals 40 more damage, recovers 5 frames faster on hit, and the opponent is launched higher into the air with less pushback
• Lightning Strikes (Away + Back Punch) deals 20 more damage
• Slightly increased the hit region on Focused Energy (Towards + Back Punch)
• Electric Charge (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch) recovers 6 frames faster and has 10 more frames of blockstun
• Double Strike (Towards + Front Kick, Back Kick) recovers 3 frames faster on hit

Reptile

• Adjusted Enhanced Acid Spit Ball hit region to be slightly larger
• Devastating Blow Charge starts up 2 frames faster (Devastating Blow Charge maximum is unchanged)
• Dr. Wreckyl (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch, Front Punch) and Kneet Trick (Towards + Back Punch, Front Punch, Front Kick) recover 5 frames faster on hit, 8 frames faster on block & miss

Shang Tsung

• Snake Oil (Away + Front Punch, Back Punch) hits High (was Mid), causes 5 more frames of blockstun, and recovers 4 frames faster on miss & block
• Shang falls faster after Surgery (Jump Front Punch, Back Punch)
• Form Stealer and Enhanced Form Stealer recover 8 frames faster
• Perfect Form recovers 10 frames faster
• Kameo Kopy and Enhanced Kameo Kopy against Kung Lao, Frost, Subzero, Sareena, Janet Cage, Mavado, and Madam Bo deal more damage. Kameo Kopy against Tremor and Darrius deal more damage
• Kameo Kopy against Darrius starts up 2 frames faster and has 5 more frames of blockstun
• Enhanced Kameo Kopy against Darrius starts up 2 frames faster, has reduced combo damage scaling, has 10 more frames of blockstun, and reduced blockstun when Flawless Blocked
• Enhanced Kameo Kopy against Tremor recovers 3 frames faster, has 4 more frames of blockstun, and reduced blockstun when Flawless Blocked
• Kameo Kopy against Janet Cage recovers 3 frames faster on miss and 2 frames faster on block
• Enhanced Kameo Kopy against Janet Cage recovers 4 frames faster on hit, 3 frames faster on miss, 2 frames faster on block, has 10 more frames of blockstun, and reduced blockstun when Flawless Blocked
• Enhanced Kameo Kopy against Khameleon absorbs 66% of damage from one hit (up from 50%)
• Fixed Kameo Kopy using incorrect attack data against Madam Bo

Smoke

• Quick Cut (Front Punch) cancel frame occurs 1 frame earlier
• Never Submit (Front Punch, Front Punch) starts up 1 frame faster

Sub-Zero

• Lin Kuei Storm (Front Punch, Back Punch) starts up 1 frame faster
• Shin Shatter (Away + Front Kick) cancel frame occurs 1 frame earlier

Tanya

• Guidance Charge no longer has a time limit
• Heavenly Hand deals 10 more damage. Enhanced Heavenly Hand deals 20 more damage
• Guidance adds 10 more damage to Heavenly Hand when Front Punch is held, causes 5 more blockstun with slightly increased pushback
• Boomerpain (Away + Back Punch) deals 20 more damage, recovers 8 frames faster, and the first hit has a larger hit region outside of combos
• Message From Above (Away + Back Punch, Front Kick) has a slightly larger collision region, starts up 3 frames faster, recovers 2 frames faster, and causes 5 more blockstun with increased pushback
• Answers (Away + Back Punch, Back Kick) can be special canceled in a combo
• Branching Out (Front Kick) recovers 2 frames faster on block, 3 frames faster on hit & miss, and has 1 more frame of hitstun against a grounded opponent

Omni-Man

• (Air) Mega Clap and (Air) Enhanced Mega Clap start up 3 frames faster, recover 5 frames faster, and have larger hit regions
• Unstoppable Force (Back Punch) cancel frame occurs 1 frame earlier
• Demon Slaying Punch (Back Punch, Back Punch) starts up 1 frame faster
• Around The World (Towards + Back Punch) starts up 2 frames faster
• Satellite Kick (Back Kick) recovers 5 frames faster

Ermac

• Slightly increase the hit region of Mass Driver (Back Punch, Front Punch) when opponent is in a combo
• Hell Spiller (Back Kick, Back Punch, Back Kick) recovers 18 frames faster and has slightly increased combo damage scaling
• Returned To The Earth (Jump Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Punch) recovers 3 frames faster

Peacemaker

• Reduced the Eagley cooldown after Ground-Air Offensive and Beautiful Bird Bullet by .5 seconds
• Nosebreaker (Towards Front Punch) cancel frame occurs 1 frame earlier
• Peace Eater (Towards Front Punch, Front Punch) starts up 1 frame faster

Homelander

• Enhanced Blast Off has 60 frames of armor (up from 23)
• Blast Off and Enhanced Blast Off are considered grounded 2 frames earlier, and have 4 more frames of recovery on miss & block
• The first hit of Vought Drop and The Seven Slam deals 20 less damage, the second hit deals 20 more
• Adjusted the hit region of Blaze It Up (Towards + Back Kick) to slightly reduce its range

Cyrax

• Capture Foam releases the victim 10 frames earlier on hit

Noob Saibot

• Embrace Khaos lasts 14 seconds (up from 10 seconds)
• Adjusted the hit region of Shadow Sweep and Enhanced Shadow Sweep to hit an opponent between Noob and his clone

Kameo Fighters

Cyrax (Kameo)

• Kopter Chopper cooldown reduced by 1 second
• Horizontal Kopter Chopper cooldown reduced by 1.5 seconds

Frost (Kameo)

• Snow Flakes cooldown reduced by 1 second
• Snow Flakes starts up 4 frames faster and recovers 9 frames faster
• Ice Karpet causes 10 more blockstun with increased pushback

Goro (Kameo)

• Raise The Roof cooldown reduced by 1 second
• Punch Walk summon recovers 7 frames faster

Kano (Kameo)

• Knife Toss deals 20 more damage and has no gravity scaling in a combo

Sareena (Kameo)

• Demonic Dance has 20 frames of invulnerability on wakeup (up from 11)

Scorpion (Kameo)

• Get Over Here recovers 4 frames faster

Stryker (Kameo)

• Stryker takes 80 damage when Rapid Fire is interrupted by an attack

Ferra (Kameo)

• Ferra takes 80 damage when (Air) Torr Stance is interrupted by an attack