Skip to main content.
KOMMUNITY + NEWS

KOMBAT EFFECT GUIDE

November 3, 2023

The art of martial philosophy does not suffice for Fighters out to defend their realm in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Thus, the Kombat Effect. A scorching, hellfire burn from Scorpion’s spear. An absolute-zero blast of manifested ice from Sub-Zero’s cryomancy. A gored, bleeding wound from Baraka’s arm blades. A vicious attack reflected off of Cyrax’s refracted cyborg armor. These are the Kombat Effects real champions hone and perfect and unleash in kombat.

Below you will find a list of the many Kombat Effects utilized in the Onslaught timeline and how they make your Fighters mightier.


Bleed

Effect Type:

D.O.T.

Description:

  • A kombat effect that causes a foe to bleed excessively. While bleeding, a foe loses health at a rate of 17% of the Fighter’s Attack stat that made them Bleed for a duration. Bleed damage is dealt immediately, then every 2 seconds until the duration ends.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply (pitting the attacking Figher’s Mastery against the defending Fighter’s Tenacity and determining whether the effect will be applied).

Block Breaker

Description:

A kombat effect that provides a Fighter’s attack an opportunity to bypass a block. If a Fighter attacks a foe, and the attack is blocked, but the Fighter utilizes Block Breaker, there is a chance their attack will ignore the block.


Boost

Description:

A kombat effect that increases a stat by a small percentage and lasts a specific duration for a Fighter and/or their teammates. Damage, Special Damage, Mastery, Critical Chance, Dodge, Critical Damage, Defense, Health Recovery, Max Health, and Block can all receive Boosts in battle.


Buff

Description:

A kombat effect that increases a base stat by a large portion and lasts a specific duration for a Fighter and/or their teammates. Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Accuracy, Attack, Block, Defense, Dodge, Damage, Mastery, Speed, and Tenacity can all receive Buffs in battle. A Buff applies a 50% increase to the stat it affects—with the exception of: Mastery, Tenacity, Accuracy, Block, and Dodge, which receive a 500-point bonus. Or, a Buff can be a positive effect that grants a predetermined amount of benefit to a Fighter and/or their teammates for a duration.


Burn

Effect Type:

D.O.T.

Description:

  • A kombat effect that ignites at least a single foe. Foes afflicted with Burn lose Health equal to 12% of the Attack stat of the Fighter that burnt them and lose Special Ability Meter equal to 12% of the Charge Rate of the attacking Fighter upon infliction and every 2 seconds after for a specific duration.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Cleanse

Description:

A kombat effect that eases a teammate's burden, immediately removing at least one negative effect from them. Debuffs, Damage Over Time, and Control Effects can all be removed by Cleanse, depending on how a Fighter utilizes it.


Debuff

Description:

A kombat effect that decreases a foe or foes’ base stats by a large portion and lasts a specific duration. Critical Rate, Critical Damage, Accuracy, Attack, Block, Defense, Dodge, Damage, Mastery, Speed, and Tenacity can all receive Debuffs in Battle. A Debuff applies a 50% decrease to the stat it affects—with the exception of: Mastery, Tenacity, Accuracy, Block, and Dodge, which receive a 500-point decrease. Or, a Debuff can be a negative effect that grants a predetermined deficit to a foe or foes for a duration.


Decrease

Description:

A kombat effect that decreases the effectiveness of a foe or foes’ Ability or stat by a small percentage and lasts a specific duration. Damage, Special Damage, Mastery, Critical Chance, Dodge, Critical Damage, Defense, Health Recovery, Max Health, and Block can all receive Decreases in battle.


Defense Ignore

Description:

A kombat effect that activates during a Fighter’s attack and allows the damage they deliver to bypass a percentage of their foe’s Defense.


Doomed

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that curses a foe to share a portion of a Fighter’s damage. When a Fighter afflicts Doomed on their foe, for a specific duration, that foe will receive damage equal to 20% of any damage the Fighter receives.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Focus

Description:

A kombat effect that allows a Fighter to focus all their attention on their current foe until that foe is defeated. While using Focus, a Fighter cannot be pulled away from the foe they are engaged with and will only attack that foe.


Frozen

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • An Area of Effect kombat effect that freezes at least a single foe. Foes left Frozen cannot attack or utilize any of their kombat effects, and their Special Meter Charge stops upon freezing, not to charge again until they thaw. Frozen lasts for a specific duration or until a Frozen foe loses 20% of their Health.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Greased

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that acts as the primer for an incendiary Burn. Greased doubles the damage and Special Meter Drain inflicted on a foe while they suffer from Burn.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Heal

Description:

A kombat effect that immediately restores a Fighter’s, and/or their teammates', Health by a certain percentage.


Impede

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that decreases the rate of cooldown by 65% for a foe’s Basic and Auto Abilities, as well as any Kombo Abilities they possess. Impede lasts a specific duration.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Invulnerability

Description:

  • A kombat effect that sends at least a single foe hurtling backward over a great distance after being attacked.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Knock-Back

Description:

  • A kombat effect that sends at least a single foe hurtling backward over a great distance after being attacked.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Knock-Up

Description:

  • A kombat effect that sends a foe airborne. When a Fighter attacks a foe and applies Knock-Up, the foe is launched into the sky, providing the opportunity for an immediate follow-up attack or a Kombo Ability follow-up.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Knockdown

Description:

  • A kombat effect that sends a foe to the ground for a specific duration after they are attacked. While knocked down, foes cannot dodge ranged attacks.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Kounter-Attack

Description:

A kombat effect that triggers when a Fighter Blocks an attack from a foe they are in a Melee Engagement with. The Kounter-Attack breaks a foe’s attack attempt and transitions into an immediate follow-up attack the foe cannot Block.


Manipulate

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • A kombat effect that tricks a foe into attacking their own teammates for a specific duration. While manipulated, a foe can only use their Basic Abilities and deals damage at 75% of their Attack stat. If a foe is ensnared by Manipulate and has no living teammates, they damage themselves.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Marked

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that leaves a mark on a foe’s head for a specific duration. Foes carrying the mark are 25% more likely to receive a Critical Hit.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Missile

Description:

  • A kombat effect that sends an attacked foe flying into another foe, interrupting their attack, and dealing additional damage to both on impact.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Pinned

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • A kombat effect that pins a foe in place for a specific duration or until the foe loses 30% of their Health while Pinned. A foe cannot move and cannot attack when they are Pinned.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Poison

Effect Type:

D.O.T.

Description:

  • A kombat effect that afflicts a foe with deadly toxins. When a foe is poisoned, they lose Health equal to 15% of the poison dealer’s Attack, and they continue to lose the same amount every 2 seconds for a specific duration. Additionally, any healing received while poisoned is reduced by 50%.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Purge

Description:

  • A kombat effect that enfeebles a foe, immediately removing at least one Buff or Boost from them.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Quicken

Effect Type:

Buff

Description:

A kombat effect that increases the rate of cooldown by 65% for a Fighter’s, and/or their teammates', Basic and Auto Abilities, as well as any Kombo Abilities they possess. Quicken lasts for a specific duration.


Reflect

Effect Type:

Buff

Description:

A kombat effect that allows a fighter to return—or Reflect—20% of damage received to the foe that dealt the damage over the course of a specific duration.


Special Meter Drain

A kombat effect that leeches a certain percentage of a foe's Special Ability Meter. Special Meter Drain can either happen instantaneously or over the course of a duration.


Special Meter Gain

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that leeches a certain percentage of a foe's Special Ability Meter. Special Meter Drain can either happen instantaneously or over the course of a duration.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Special Meter Gain

Effect Type:

Buff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that fills a Fighter’s Special Ability Meter by a certain percentage. Special Meter Gain can either happen instantaneously or over the course of a duration.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Stealth

Description:

A kombat effect that allows a fighter to go ghost on the battlefield. When utilizing Stealth, for a duration, a fighter cannot be directly targeted by a foe or Special Ability (but can still be hit by Area of Effect attacks). Additionally, control effects will not register with Fighters utilizing Stealth, and the Fighter will not enter Melee Engagements.


Stun

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • A kombat effect that leaves at least a single foe incapacitated for a specific duration. When a foe is stunned, they immediately enter the state, interrupting any action they were engaged in. Foes remain stunned until the duration ends or they lose a certain percentage of their Health.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Suffering

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

A kombat effect that takes a foe’s pain and makes it so much worse. A foe afflicted with Suffering receives an additional 15% damage from any Damage Over Time effect for a specific duration.


Taunt

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • A kombat effect that forces foes to attack the Fighter that taunted them and only use their Basic Abilities. During the specific duration that Taunt lasts, affected foes cannot enter a melee engagement with another Fighter.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Unhealable

Effect Type:

Control

Description:

  • A kombat effect that completely inhibits the afflicted foe from receiving Heal for a specific duration.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.

Vampirism

Description:

A Kombat effect that allows an attacking Fighter to convert 40% of the damage they inflict upon a foe into recovered Health for themselves.


Weaken

Effect Type:

Debuff

Description:

  • A kombat effect that leaves a foe in excruciating pain and open to taking bonus damage for a specific duration. A foe suffering from Weaken receives 15% additional damage from all attacks.
  • Requires a Mastery/Tenacity check to apply.