When Spawn was released as the final DLC character for Mortal Kombat 11, players were hopeful that there would be a second round of characters released, but few expected NetherRealm Studios to come out swinging with something as robust as Aftermath. Featuring both paid and free updates that bring three new characters, new stages, Friendships, and a story that continues following the post-Kronika fight, Aftermath will be available on May 26.

Welcoming Three New Fighters

Aftermath brings three new characters to the roster. Sheeva, the grappler from Outworld, Fujin, the God of Wind, and RoboCop, the cyborg law enforcer that no one expected to see added to the game. Rather than release a few months apart like the first round of DLC fighters, all three will arrive on May 26, and are sure to cause chaos in the meta as players learn how to play and play around several new combatants. Like the first round of characters, these characters must be purchased to be used.

Friendships Return In Style

Apart from RoboCop, the return of Friendships is a big surprise. So far, we have only seen four of the finishing moves, and they look fantastic. Scorpion spears a large teddy bear onto the screen for a big hug, Kano uses his laser to get a BBQ cookout going, Noob Saibot uses two clones for jump rope, and Sub-Zero gets his ice-cream cart for a nice cool treat.

The addition of Friendships is something that players hoped to see, especially after Mortal Kombat X heavily hinted towards an update that never materialized. This will be part of the free update and available to all players.

New Stages

A second part of the free update includes three new stages. Two looks familiar with the Deadpool from Mortal Kombat 2 and the Soul Chamber from Mortal Kombat 3, with the third stage may be an original design, or a classic that has not fully been revealed yet. Stage fatalities will also be part of the free update and appear to be a redesign of the originals. In the original Deadpool, players could uppercut their opponents into the acid and see a skeleton emerge. Here, we see Scorpion sent flying up to have the back of his head impaled by a large meat hook, which is then lowered, submerging the character into the same acid.

Three Ways To Buy

Since this is technically the third paid purchase in Mortal Kombat 11, there are three ways to access the DLC. For players who do not own the game, there will be a complete package made available featuring the base game, Kombat Pack 1, and Aftermath for $59.99. For players who own the base game but do not own any DLC, there will be a bundle with Kombat Pack 1 and Aftermath for $49.99. Finally, for those who already own the game and Kombat Pack 1, Aftermath can be purchased as a standalone upgrade for $39.99.

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