Nightwolf is about to enter the fray of Mortal Kombat 11, and we have caught our first glimpse of his abilities in the gameplay reveal trailer that shows off an impressive toolkit that is sure to mix things up.
Also known as Grey Cloud, Nightwolf debuted first in Mortal Kombat 3 as a Nicaraguan Native American shaman and historian. This is the character’s first appearance since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon in 2011, and he looks fantastic, so let’s dive into his abilities.
Arrows
From what we can see in the reveal trailer, Nightwolf appears capable of holding or charging his arrow attacks, allowing for a timed release. Kabal was lying on the ground when Nightwolf began the animation, and the arrows were only sent flying outwards once Kabal was on his feet. This is sure to mix things up, or at the least offer some great mind games about when the arrows will be sent forth.
Spirit Animal Buffs
Twice in the reveal trailer we see Nightwolf take a moment to call upon his two spirit animal companions, which are a bear and a wolf. Thematically speaking, we can likely expect the bear to provide some form of damage resistance buff to reducing incoming damage, meanwhile the wolf is probably meant to be a short-term damage increase.
Hatchet Lightning
As before, Nightwolf seems able to harness his inner Thor and call down a powerful lightning strike on his opponent. We see a couple of different attacks using this effect, one at close range and another at maximum range, meaning that there will be some versatility in how the special move is used.
Shoulder Charge
A staple from MK3, the trailer shows Nightwolf incorporating the classic shoulder charge into a number of different combos, and we can expect it to be a fundamental part of his damage strings. Each time we see the attack, it looks distinctly similar in speed to what Jacqui Briggs can do, meaning that Nightwolf might be another character who can rush a beatdown and close gaps effectively.
Glow Shield
This is one of the more interesting abilities shown in the trailer, as it seems to be adapted from previous games. Whereas before the Shield would merely reflect projectiles, here we see Nightwolf automatically teleport behind Baraka after reflecting his projectile. If this is a base move that does not require empowerment, it will make most opponents think twice about trying to keep Nightwolf at range with the spamming of projectiles!
We can only speculate about the impact of Nightwolf once he enters the game, but for now at least his toolkit seems to be strong and versatile.
Nightwolf is set to release in early access on August 13, so get ready for a new fighter!