Mortal Kombat 11's Nightwolf gameplay trailer features animal spirits and a lightning tomahawk

 The ever-expanding Mortal Kombat 11 roster has added another fighter to its Kombat Pack release: the fierce shaman Nightwolf, last seen in 2011’s Mortal Kombat. 

According to his official background story, Nightwolf was born as Grey Cloud, and is “a proud and fierce warrior dedicated to the cause of good and chosen by the Great Spirit to become the Matoka tribe’s champion and protector.” In Nightwolf’s last Mortal Kombat appearance, he sacrificed himself in a ritual to defeat Sindel, Kitana’s mother. Funnily enough, Sindel will also be offered in the Kombat Pack DLC. Perhaps a rematch is on the horizon?

Nightwolf’s signature lightning-summoning tomahawk is back, as well as his rib-shattering shoulder charge, and his ghostly bow-and-arrow. But NeatherRealm Studios has added a new ability to his arsenal – Nightwolf can summon the spirits of the wolf, eagle, and bear to help him in battle. Based on the gameplay trailer, it seems like the bear can deflect projectiles, the wolf increases attack speed, and the eagle can be launched at an opponent. Nightwolf’s Final Blow has him call on the power of both the wolf and the bear, before launching three green arrows at your opponent. After that, he embeds his tomahawk into their neck and uses it to channel lightning through them. As far as the Fatality goes, let’s just say it involves a tomahawk to the lower jaw, which is quickly removed from the rest of your opponent’s face. 

Nightwolf is available as part of the six-character DLC Kombat Pack, which also includes new skins and different gear sets, all released over a period of time. So far the confirmed fighters in the Kombat Pack are Nightwolf, Shang Tsung, Spawn, and the aforementioned Sindel. Rumor has it that Ash Williams from the Evil Dead franchise and the Terminator himself will be the final two downloadable characters. If you already own the $39.99/£33 GBP Kombat Pack, Nightwolf will be available on August 13. If you don’t, you can download the character as of August 20.

Mortal Kombat 11 is available for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. 

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Alyssa Mercante

Alyssa Mercante is an editor and features writer at GamesRadar based out of Brooklyn, NY. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.