How to perform a Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1

Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1 are like the faster, less-flashy cousins of Fatalities.

Instead of inputting a code at the end of a fight when “FINISH HIM/HER” pops up on your screen, Brutalities happen when you finish the fight with a certain move or combo, and they instantly destroy the enemy player’s body.

Performing a Brutality is more complex than it initially seems, and can come across as not working — so in this Mortal Kombat 1 Brutality guide, we’ll help you figure out how to finish off your enemies in style.

How to do Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1, and why Brutalities might not be working

Image: NetherRealm Studios / WB Games

Unlike Fatalities, Brutalities have to be dealt on the final blow of a match. If you see the “FINISH HIM/HER” screen, it’s already too late for a Brutality.

To figure out how to do a Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1, open your character’s move list during a fight and go to Finishers. You’ll see Brutalities listed under Fatalities, and a simple button combo. But — and we’re willing to bet this is why you’re here — finishing a fight with an uppercut isn’t enough to execute The Klassic Brutality. You’ll actually need to hold down another button while executing the combo to make it a Brutality.

In the Finishers menu, look at the bottom of the screen for a prompt that says “Advanced View.” Hit this button to display more information on your Brutalities and how to execute them. This new menu will give you exact instructions on how you need to perform the combos at the end of the fight.

Image: NetherRealm Studios / WB Games

For example, you’ll learn that in order to make your opponent’s head fly off with The Klassic, you need to hold the uppercut button longer than normal on the final hit. Most often, you’ll need to hold a direction down when killing someone with a special move in order to turn it into a Brutality, like holding down on the D-pad while killing someone with Raiden’s Electric Fly to activate the Inside Out Brutality.

With the Advanced View menu open, you should get enough information to figure out all of Brutality activations on your own.

How to unlock more Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1

Image: NetherRealm Studios / WB Games

You can unlock additional Brutalities for your fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 by upgrading their Mastery level. To do this, just use that specific fighter in Invasions, Towers, online matches, or basically anything that isn’t the kampaign.

As you gain XP, you’ll increase your Mastery, which will give you new cosmetics for your character, as well as new Brutalities and Fatalities. Every character will earn their first two Brutalities (not counting The Klassic, which everyone can do) at Mastery levels two and five, and will continue gaining them as they level into the teens and beyond.