Scorpion appears to have been nerfed in the August update of Mortal Kombat 11. Mortal Kombat XI was released on April 23 to rave reviews, with some calling it the best fighting game in years. Many players were thrilled with the new additions to the fighting cast, as well getting the chance to play as the younger versions of some beloved favorites. Many appreciated the focus on the smaller details of the game and franchise as a whole, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. Still, its release was not without controversy, as constant video game industry vexes employee crunch and microtransactions came to light.
For the past couple of games in the franchise, developer NetherRealm studios has tempted players with releasing characters, both familiar and unique, as purchasable DLC after the initial release. Fan-favorite Nightwolf is the most recent example of a character that was once part of the main cast, but is now a downloadable character. Some feel that asking players to pay for additional characters is too much, while others think the main cast of the base game is big enough and are happy to pay for additional content. A lot of balancing work goes into these characters and may continue until months after release.
Scorpion, one of the most popular characters of the entire franchise, has just been nerfed, as a post on Reddit shows that a lot of players are very happy. Among a myriad of other changes, such as “Improvements to AI logic” and the classic “Stability improvements,” Scorpion’s move-set has also been slightly changed. His teleportation moves Hell Port and (Air) Hell Port still operate the same way, but now function as “high” attacks. This makes both of these signature moves a lot easier to dodge, as players now simply have to crouch in time to avoid them.
Many of the players on the official subreddit are very happy with this change. NatiHanson writes, “SCORPION’S TELEPORT IS A HIGH. WE DID IT BOYS,” and coltRG confirms, “best change of the balance patch.” Still, others recognize that this going to make a lot of Scorpion players very unhappy. “If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of a million scorpions screaming in KL right now,” according to Mr-Whipps. Players were similarly pleased with the buffs given to D’vorah and the fact that Kabal wasn’t touched at all.
It’s always a good sign when the majority of players are happy with a game change. This is especially important for fighting games like Mortal Kombat XI. Some players will spend hours or longer for exploits that they can use against their indefensible opponent, and then use those exploits over and over again. It may make that particular player feel like a god, but it isn’t fair to everyone else. These kinds of exploits chase away potential players and kill off fighting games. Even for Scorpion players, this was a good change because it will add to the longevity of the game for all.
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Source: WB_Will/Reddit
