Dragon Krystals are the premium currency used in Mortal Kombat 1. Players spend Dragon Krystals in the Premium Store to purchase selected cosmetic content and other premium items, making them separate from currencies earned and spent through the game’s standard and seasonal progression systems.
Unlike Koins and Krowns, Dragon Krystals are closely tied to Mortal Kombat 1’s premium economy. Players can purchase additional Dragon Krystals with real money, although the game also provides opportunities to earn limited amounts through gameplay and progression.
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What Are Dragon Krystals Used For?
Dragon Krystals are primarily spent in the Premium Store. The store features a rotating selection of items that can include character skins, palettes, gear, announcer voices, and other cosmetic content.
Each Premium Store item has a Dragon Krystal price. Purchasing an item permanently adds the associated content to the player’s collection.
The rotating nature of the Premium Store means that not every item is available at the same time. Items can leave the current selection and return during a later store rotation.
Dragon Krystals can also be spent on Character and Kameo Mastery progression, following an update introduced in April 2025. This option becomes available once a player reaches Mastery Rank 35 with at least one original-roster playable fighter. It allows players to obtain Mastery rewards without earning every rank through gameplay.
How Do You Get Dragon Krystals in Mortal Kombat 1?
Players can obtain Dragon Krystals through a combination of purchases, permanent progression rewards, and selected gameplay activities.
Character Mastery awards 100 Dragon Krystals at Ranks 20 and 31 for original-roster playable fighters, providing up to 200 Krystals per eligible fighter. These rewards can only be claimed once per Mastery milestone.
Kameo Mastery does not award Dragon Krystals. Its progression rewards instead include palettes, Kombat Kard items, Brutalities and Easy Fatality Tokens.
Completing Story Mode awards 500 Dragon Krystals. Players can also earn them through Profile Level progression, with 200 Dragon Krystals awarded at Levels 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100, for a total of 1,000 from those milestones.
Towers of Time has also provided a recurring opportunity to earn Dragon Krystals through weekly rewards. This gives active players a way to add to their balance over time without relying exclusively on one-time progression rewards or purchasing additional currency.
Players who want more Dragon Krystals can purchase currency packs with real money through their platform’s digital storefront.
What Is the Difference Between Dragon Krystals, Koins, and Krowns?
Dragon Krystals, Koins, and Krowns are separate currencies with different roles in Mortal Kombat 1’s economy.
Dragon Krystals are the game’s premium currency and are primarily spent in the Premium Store. They can be purchased with real money, while smaller amounts can also be obtained through progression and selected gameplay rewards.
Koins are a general gameplay currency. Players earn Koins through various activities and can spend them at the Shrine to receive rewards.
Krowns are associated with Invasion Mode and its progression systems. Their purpose and availability are tied more closely to Invasions rather than the Premium Store.
The distinction means that earning a large number of Koins or Krowns does not increase a player’s Dragon Krystal balance. Each currency operates within its own part of Mortal Kombat 1’s economy.
Can You Earn Dragon Krystals Without Spending Real Money?
Players can earn Dragon Krystals without purchasing them directly. Character Mastery, Story Mode completion, Profile Level progression and selected Towers of Time rewards provide ways to obtain Krystals through gameplay.
Many progression-based Dragon Krystal rewards are one-time unlocks. Once a player has claimed a Krystal reward from a particular Mastery Rank or progression milestone, the same reward cannot be earned repeatedly from that milestone.
Recurring rewards can provide additional Dragon Krystals over time when available. This means players are not necessarily required to purchase Dragon Krystals, although earning enough for multiple Premium Store purchases through gameplay can take considerably longer.
Do Dragon Krystals Reset?
Dragon Krystals do not reset when a new Invasions season begins. Any unspent Dragon Krystals remain in the player’s balance and can be saved for future Premium Store items.
This separates Dragon Krystals from currencies that are tied directly to seasonal progression. Players can choose to hold their Krystals rather than spending them during the current Premium Store rotation.
The permanent balance is particularly useful when waiting for a specific skin or cosmetic item to return to the Premium Store.
Why Are Dragon Krystals Important?
Dragon Krystals determine access to much of Mortal Kombat 1’s premium cosmetic economy. Players who want particular Premium Store skins, palettes, gear, or other premium items need enough Dragon Krystals when those items become available.
I’ve found that Dragon Krystals are best treated differently from MK1’s more freely earned currencies. Because Premium Store items rotate and Krystals are less abundant than Koins, saving them for a specific cosmetic is often more useful than spending them simply because something is currently available.
In Mortal Kombat 1, Dragon Krystals function as a persistent premium currency that exists alongside the game’s standard and seasonal currencies. They connect real-money purchases, permanent progression rewards, and selected gameplay activities with the rotating content available through the Premium Store.
