⚠ CONSUMER WARNING ⚠ - MK11 RNG grind walls worse than Injustice 2's

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

"Character augments are these little gems that you can slot into your gear that give you passive bonuses. Here are some examples of bonuses.
Gem 1: 9% extra damage on raiden Superman
Gem 2: +20% poison resist, 3% overall damage
Gem 3: 4% less damage to the whole team in AI battle

On paper, the augments sound pretty good, and honestly they’re not hard to come by. They are fairly common rewards in towers of time and the Krypt. While these are randomized for the character they drop for, you can focus on your character by summoning a character tower and getting augments for your main from there.
What sucks, however, is the amount of preparation and RNG you need to even use a gem. These gems aren’t one size fits all. Just like the infinity stones, they come in different shapes and colors. I don’t have the game in front of me right now so I cant remember the exact names , but there are 5 types of gems, and for this example, let’s say two of these types are chaos, and order.
Say you’re a Noob Saibot player, and you want to use Augments for Noob, here’s the process for start to finish.

Step 1: Get augments for Noob Saibot either randomly or through Character Tower

Step 2: Level up your gear to unlock the gear slots on your current equipment. Those gear icons you see in the preview footage at the end of fights with the little xp bar at the bottom left? Yup this is it. Your gear has xp. It takes about 25 wins to level up all your gear once and unlock the first augment slots on them the it goes exponentially higher for other slots. Each gear piece has upto 3 slots for augments that you can unlock, but you can only equip two augments per gear piece. Also this xp is tier to the individual gear piece. So if you just leveled up the “Brother of Kuai" mask for Noob to level 3, and find a cooler mask that you swap out for, you gotta level up the new mask from scratch.

Step 3: Match the slots on the gear, with the type of augment. Remember how augments are one of 5 types? Your level 3 mask might have 2 slots for chaos augments, and one for order augments. But all the chaos and order gems you have may not even be for the mask. Your order gems might be for the shadow and chaos for the sickle. So not only do you have to match the type of gem to the slot of the gear, but the gem itself should be for that gear piece. If the gear piece does not have the slots to match the augments you have, you can pay coins to reroll the type of slots in the gear piece in exchange for coins. I don’t know the cost yet because I believe rerolling only works on max level gear.

Step 4: So now everything is set. Your Noob mask is level 3. You’ve rerolled it so that the augment slots match the types of augments you have for the mask, and you just placed the augments into the mask. However you just realized that the bonuses these give you don’t really match your current load out. The poison resist gem isn’t going to help you in this tower with blood damage, and the special move bonus that the augment is giving you is for a special you haven’t equipped in this variation. Oh well, hopefully you get another augment soon and you better hope it’s for the mask and matches the slots on the mask, otherwise you gotta reroll again.

Step 5: You just found a sick looking new mask, sickle, and shadow gear. Aw s*** here we go again. Oh, and we cant just let you remove your augments from your old gear for free. Freely swapping would be too friendly. You gotta pay 1000 coins for each augment you remove from your old gear. Shao Kahn needs his tribute!"

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/253573-mortal-kombat-11/77654769

tl;dr --
All content -- skins, clothing parts, augments etc. -- are tied to an RNG system that has more layered RNG systems therein, increasing grinding requirements exponentially, relative to "gear" level -- a process that is compulsory for unlocking more and more content, as NRS's infamous cheatbot A.I. necessitates the continual increasing of char. attributes to "overpowered" degrees, so as to allow for progression / continued content access (*it's not a skill-based system where players can simply "git gud" to surmount CPU encounters).

Also, all unlocking of content must be verified via server connection / check (so as to "ensure you're not getting what you're not supposed to" -Derek Kirtzik, NRS developer),
Thus, Internet connectivity is effectively compulsory for accessing the content that consumers have already paid a triple-A premium price for.

Lastly, still no mention of whether or not customisation will be usable offline (i.e., P1vP2), outside of throw-away versus-dumbot modes ... So, all this MMO-esque grinding for content we already paid for and own, may amount to nothing for most players who want to play either traditional offline versus mode/s (the meat and bones of all games in this genre), or even "competitively" online (where "variations" have replaced whatever "customisation" the game offers).

PS: Suffice it to say, all these grind walls placed to lock players out of using the content they paid for and have been tantalised with for months, can be circumvented instantly by spending more money and buying the game's in-game real-world currency surrogate / "zenny", "Time Krystals". 👌

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

Oh... And just in case you thought the RNG grind wall locked content was all only "cosmetic":

"The krypt by itself is pretty cool. However, like the rest of the game there is a lot of padding in the Krypt. Off the top of my head, here are the things we would like to get from the Krypt, in decreasing order of usefulness.

FATALITIES AND BRUTALITIES
CHARACTER INTROS, OUTROS, AND END OF ROUND TAUNTS
Character skins
Character gear pieces
Combat card icons and backgrounds
Variation icons
The variation icons are the least useful but the biggest source of padding. Assuming character unlocks are split 50-50 between towers of time unlocks and krypt unlocks, there are approximately about 120 pieces of loot per character to unlock from the Krypt. Each chest in the krypt usually rewards 3 or 4 items.

What throws a wrench in the works however, is how much extra filler the game has that is also obtained from Krypt chests. Here’s a list of non-customization stuff you can get from the Krypt:

Character Augments
In game currency (Jade Coins, Hearts)
Krypt key items (Consumables to open certain doors)
Tower Consumables
Forge recipes to craft aforementioned Krypt key items
Raw materials to craft krypt key items using aforementioned recipes
Concept Art, music, character renders
So now you have chests that might cost you 14,000 coins to open, and yet only give you a bunch of consumables and tokens that you probably wont end up using. While I have not forged any Krypt items using recipes, I get the sinking feeling that there are areas in the Krypt that will only be accessed by using one of these items. Once you use the item, it’s used up, so you will either have to get another as a tower of time reward, or as a reward in a krypt chest, or get lucky with a crafting recipe for it, but then still have to find the materials that go into the recipe to craft it.

There is also an item that you start with that references Kronika that let’s you reset the chests in a room for 2000 coins per chest. So say you clear out all 10 chests in a room, for 20,000 coins you could reset that entire room and open the chests for different rewards. Seeing as how this game has more items to obtain and a lot of filler and padding icons, I believe there are less chests than there are items and you will have to reset the chests a few times to get some exotic stuff.

This is the most grindy and padded the Krypt had ever been. While this game does not have real money lootboxes, the Krypt might as well be a loot box wet dream."

>inb4 implying that people don't care about [access to] char. skins
>after all the hubbub about covering up the game's females
😂👌

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

Further:

"Problem with the whole stuff is the game is constantly throwing sticks between the players legs.

you buy an character specific tower set which consists of 4 or 5 towers for 25000 Koins. In those towers they want you to have accumulated 50 uppercuts or 50 throws, so you have to grind this out first before you can tackle the character specific towers. yay!

you do a normal tower of time, it takes a long time and you get 10.000 koins and a few consumables for the playing, it isn´t even guaranteed that you get something cosmetic. yay!

i am sitting here with a Sonya that has in total 15 Skins, 4 intros, winning poses 2 fatalities and stuff and there is no guarantee at all to unlock something specific, i see the same intro, the same winning pose and the same fatality the whole time. the game is crippled essentially because you will never see those cosmetics in a reasonable amount of time.

so that is where these crystals come into play later. they want people to buy those crystals or play this game till your beard is long and grey.

people saying this is fine are not seeing the problem, this is a full price game with additional paid DLC characters and they treat you like playing a free mobile game. it is awful and it makes no fun. they should give out those cosmetics at a steady pace...

this is just awful, if the base game was 30 bucks and it was so stingy, well would suck but would be an explanation, for a full price game this is all the disgusting s*** going on with games these days rolled into one nice package."

[Ouroboros]

Here I was excited for rpg type mechanics and customization. I should have known WB wouldn't let you play your way, they want you to pay their way. FFS publishers. How much of my money do you want ? Do you want me to cancel my cell phone to pay for your game? How about I keep wearing the same clothes for years until they have holes in them instead of buying new clothes once a year or so?

All it takes is 1 'whale customer' to make multiple purchases and its worth frustrating everyone else whos not so flush with disposable cash. And what exactly are you paying for with additional purchases? You're paying for the convenience of NOT dealing with the frustrating systems which are put in the game and engineered specifically to frustrate you...


At least I can go play a "true elder scrolls experience" with Elder Scrolls Blades..


Do you guys remember when you could just pay your money for a game once, and that was sufficient ? Before they designed systems to frustrate you and waste your time?

Not only do I not have the money for additional purchases inside a game I already paid for, I simply dont have the time nor the desire to put up with this type of grind!

WB already had to restructure Shadow of War's loot progression system and the rate at which you unlock orcs and stuff because they made it so egregious and frustrating that people were not enjoying the experience. (which I expect they will do with MK11 ... but not for several months, until the launch window is long past and people are already bored of playing and the whales have all been milked and moved on to their next games)

If minute by minute, hour by hour, the gameplay experience is one of frustration and tedium, youre making a bad game.

Stop sucking at my teats ! Theres nothing there for you!

[Shirakani]

Called it. There was no way there'd be 'no lootboxes'. The reason the entire Krypt is online gated is BECAUSE its one massive lootbox arena.

Bait and scam, the WB/NRS way!

WB will be forced to redo it if this blows up in mainstream media, which it needs to.

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

Originally posted by Shirakani:

Called it. There was no way there'd be 'no lootboxes'. The reason the entire Krypt is online gated is BECAUSE its one massive lootbox arena.

Correct; and something anyone not new to video gaming (much less, NRS or Warner) could see coming a mile off. I mean, whenever Ed Baboon was ask the related question, he always had this uneasy look on his face when he replied "No -- no loot boxes in MK11"; and then, even more tellingly, never even once elaborate on WHY they were removed or HOW / WHAT they would be replacing them with!

This is 'Trumpian' style mealy-mouthing typical of today's "post truth" era -- where people think that omitting information, no matter how vital, is A-OK and not a form of dastardly lying... And it's disgusting and makes misanthropes of people. 😒

As is stands (and I'll confirm / clarify after I test the <2-hour "try-before-you-buy" versions of it in a few days), MK11 is looking like a veritable "beta" of the game offline -- in terms of content acquisition, game mode access and even basic functionality (see: no customisation for player-2 offline in IJ2) -- and all but an MMO online.

Is this what people want from a fighting game?... And, if so, why not just have made MK11 a free-to-play game + co$ted [full] characters and [access to] arenas?

[Shibby]

Originally posted by Shirakani:

Called it. There was no way there'd be 'no lootboxes'. The reason the entire Krypt is online gated is BECAUSE its one massive lootbox arena.

Bait and scam, the WB/NRS way!

WB will be forced to redo it if this blows up in mainstream media, which it needs to.

It won't though this game isn't marketed towards kids (who will still get it anyways) so they can squirm out of it saying adults should know what they are getting into. It's still BS though. I am sure there will be trainers released so PC players can just get however many coins they wish. I am unsure what sort of anti cheat would be built in if any at all.

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

^ They don't really care who is affects -- non-gamer casuals, run-of-the-mill players, long term fans, competitive players -- it's ALL about the MONEY.

As such, unless consumers vote with the wallets / purses (which won't happen in a lowest common denominator fraught society), nothing will change and the lies to dissemble their treachery will continue to flow.

At this rate, we'll soon be in that e-Orwellian Twilight Zone where we're paying for each, individual special ability per character, and the inputs commands to use them!

[Not Edible]

Enjoy the grind.

[Ouroboros]

"Welcome to the international house of pancakes, a table will cost you a $15 entry fee, and that comes with water, and toast, and strawberry jam. For just $20 you can get the 'premium table' which comes with juice instead of water, and 3 different types of jam.

Now your basic meal will cost you $18... and your order will be put in a slow cue.. It won't be cooked and brought to you until theres a free moment when the 'gold meals' aren't being cooked. That could take hours for all you know. But if you want to pay $25 dollars for a 'Gold Meal' your order will be put in the fast cue immediately. And it even comes with a BONUS strip of bacon! What a value!! "


How about 'no', you greedy goblins. How about you stop contriving systems to make the experience difficult, time consuming, and frustrating, while expecting us to pay extra fees to bypass them.

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

^ MMO's are mostly free-to-play, and if they're not, the provide content to justify their buy-in... or die in utero. When a game is US$60 + $40 for premium + whatever more for whatever "seasons" may follow, it has no right to lock content away from those who have already paid for it.

Beating a story or arcade mode a few times, has never been a problem for fighting games -- especially when the content comprised characters or fight stages. However, when there are literally hundreds of items locked out from player use, and imprisoned grind walls that most normal players will never surmount, it's blatant micro-transaction abuse and the daylight robber of paying customers.

I paid a handsome price for the game -- why can't I have reasonable access to the stuff for the few characters I use??

[Ouroboros]

Originally posted by KripTed:

Well. I enjoy the grind in MMO's but not games like this.

and thats totally fair. Getting everything immediately without any effort is not fun. Effort and rewards are fun.. But then publishers go and take that to an extreme, to the point where they deliberately frustrate customers, and then offer them a paid solution for the problem they created in the first place.

Im 28.. I dont have time to sit around gaming for entire days anymore like I did when I got home from school. I get to play an hour here, maybe 2 hours there.. Maybe 5-10-ish hours a week.

I cant stand how so many games are trying to turn themselves into chores, into day jobs, in order for you to get the content and the full experience.

When I play 1-2 hours of God of War, I feel satisfied when I save and shut down the console. When I play 1-2 hours of Spider-man, I feel satisfied when I'm done that session. I felt like it was a good little bit of leisure time spent. This artificial grind stuff makes it so you can't get a satisfying experience from a short stint of time.

I used to try to go back and play WoW with every new expansion, only to find I would buy the expac and one month of time, and play it for a week at most before getting tired of feeling like my time wasn't well spent (in my own personal valuation of my time). I'm not a high schooler who can spend their entire weekend, and every waking hour, slogging through a grind.

[Impact Fontaine]

it is single player only like in towers where they have augments and tag team

[Ouroboros]

Originally posted by KripTed:

I don't support games that are 79.99 CAD then want to add micro-transactions. I hate to say it but the gaming industry needs to crash, so we can have a real change. But you know, sheep.

yeah I hear ya. Some games use the grind as the main gameplay loop. The grind for gear is the game. Which is fine. I personally dont want to pay money for that anymore.

The $80 CAD (plus taxes if youre in a store) is really funny.. Considering how the games are priced so high because EB Games, or Walmart, or whatever, needs to take a cut of the profit.... But when you buy an EA game from the EA Origin launcher, youre buying a digital copy, directly from the manufacturer.... for the exact same cost. Sure they need to have servers running.. But I can't believe they aren't capable of passing savings on to the customer.

Walmart or eb games buys the copy for less than $80 and then after their 33% or 50% markup or whatever, they charge their final price.. But since digital sales started directly from the manufacturer, they've never reduced the markup...

[Ouroboros]

Originally posted by ⎛⎝DarkStarZ⎠⎞:

Yay, like I was worried I wouldn't be able to get +700 hours out of MK11 like I did Injustice 2. lol I'm going to totally get my monies worth with this one, whew! XDD

Goodbye life, goodbye wife... I've got to get my equipment levels up and the perfect rolls for my socket types!

[ThatOne_ArabGuy]

Originally posted by KripTed:

That's the point I was trying to make guys. This game shouldn't be having paywalls and etc. I agree. I mean I play Guild Wars 2 so you can imagine the things that may be locked behind a paywall. But a grind like that makes sense in a game like Guild Wars or WoW, not Mortal Kombat.

It's like Mortal Kombat is trying to be Overwatch or something. Even their end fatalities remind me of outro's seen in Overwatch. Why are augments even a thing? Why is there even in game currency? Like seriously. This is wrong and this is not Mortal Kombat. I don't support games that are 79.99 CAD then want to add micro-transactions. I hate to say it but the gaming industry needs to crash, so we can have a real change. But you know, sheep.

People that buy games like this aren't the sheep, it's people that actually buy the premium currency in games like this that are the issue. If everyone just bought the game and nobody spent money on their premium currencies, they'd stop. Unfortunately it takes a few whales to ruin it for everyone because there will be a few select people that will blow their load on the currency.