You're standing there. Your opponent is wobbling, dizzy, a sliver of health left while that iconic, booming voice screams "FINISH HIM!" at the top of its lungs. It’s the moment of truth. But instead of a glorious, spine-ripping spectacle, you accidentally throw a limp high kick and the match just... ends. It’s embarrassing. We’ve all been there. Getting a fatality Mortal Kombat XL PS4 style isn't just about pressing buttons; it's about muscle memory, spacing, and honestly, a bit of flair.
Mortal Kombat XL is the definitive version of MKX, and it brought a massive roster. We aren't just talking about Scorpion and Sub-Zero anymore. We’re talking about Alien, Predator, Leatherface, and Jason Voorhees. Each of these guys has specific finishers that require exact inputs. If you’re playing on a DualShock 4, those d-pad presses need to be crisp. If you mess up the "Close," "Mid," or "Far" distance requirements, you’re just going to look silly jumping around the screen like a caffeinated kangaroo.
Why the Distance Matters More Than the Buttons
Most players fail their finishers because they ignore the positioning. You can have the input for Sub-Zero’s "Chest Kold" memorized perfectly, but if you’re standing at the edge of the screen when the game requires "Close" range, nothing happens.
Basically, "Close" means you’re literally touching the other character. "Mid" is roughly two jump-lengths away—think of it as the starting distance of a round. "Far" is the full screen width. If you’re playing on a PS4, the d-pad is your best friend here. The analog sticks are too floaty for the precise "Back, Forward, Down, Circle" sequences. Use the buttons. It feels better, it works more consistently, and your thumbs won't slip during the heat of a 10-hit combo finish.
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The Problem With Easy Fatalities
Yeah, NetherRealm added "Easy Fatalities." You see them in the menu—holding R2 and pressing Triangle or Square. They’re a trap. You start with a limited number of "Easy Fatality" tokens, and once they're gone, you have to buy more or earn them through the Krypt. It’s way more satisfying to just learn the actual inputs. Plus, relying on tokens makes you a lazy player. Don't be that person.
Fatalities for the XL Newcomers
If you just picked up the XL version to play as the horror icons, you’ve got some of the most brutal animations in the series. Take Leatherface, for example. His "Seeing Double" finisher is just pure slasher movie gore. You need to be at Mid range. The input is Forward, Back, Down, Up. That "Up" at the end is tricky because if you hit it too fast, you might jump. The trick is to input the sequence during the "Finish Him" freeze-frame or hold the Block button (R2) while you do the directional inputs, then release it before the final button press.
Alien is another beast entirely. To do "Killer Queen," you’re looking at Down, Down, Back, Forward, X at Close range. It’s fast. It’s messy. It’s exactly what you want after a hard-fought ranked match.
Brutalities: The Real Flex
Fatalities are the classic, but Brutalities are where the real experts live. Unlike a fatality Mortal Kombat XL PS4 sequence which happens after the fight is over, a Brutality happens as the final blow of the match.
But there’s a catch.
You have to meet specific requirements during the fight. For example, some require you to have over 50% health, or to have landed a certain move five times during the match. They are much harder to pull off because you have to think about them while you’re trying not to get your head kicked in. If you manage to end a match with a Brutality, you’ve basically won the mental game too.
The Stage Fatalities You’re Forgetting
Mortal Kombat XL brought back Stage Fatalities, and they are honestly some of the coolest visuals in the game. Not every stage has one, though. You need to be on specific maps like The Pit, Kove, or Refugee Kamp.
On The Pit, the input is usually Down, Forward, Down, Up + Square (it varies slightly by character, but most follow a similar pattern). Watching your opponent fall onto the spikes at the bottom of the bridge is a nostalgia trip that never gets old. It's a "Close" range requirement, so make sure you're right in their face before you try it.
Dealing with "Input Lag" on PS4
Sometimes it feels like the game isn't registering your presses. If you’re playing on a modern 4K TV with an older PS4, check your TV settings. Make sure "Game Mode" is on. Mortal Kombat is a frame-data game. Even a few milliseconds of display lag can turn your "Down, Back, Forward" into a mess of missed inputs.
Also, check your controller. The DualShock 4's d-pad can get mushy over time. If your "Down" input feels soft, that might be why your finishers aren't coming out. A crisp d-pad is mandatory for high-level play.
Mastering the Secret Finishers
There are "hidden" finishers and Faction Kills that people often overlook. Faction Kills are linked to the Faction War meta-game. They’re fast, efficient, and great for when you want to get to the next match quickly. You hold R2 and press Forward, Forward.
But let’s be real, you’re here for the gore. The "Klassic" Fatalities, often found in the Krypt or unlocked via DLC, are the ones that recreate the 16-bit era kills with modern graphics. Scorpion’s "Toasty" is the gold standard. Up, Up, Triangle at Mid range. Just remember that holding R2 while pressing those "Up" buttons keeps you from jumping.
Learning the Roster's Quirks
Every character in MKXL feels different. Goro moves like a tank. D'Vorah is twitchy and weird. This affects how you time your finishers.
- Jason Voorhees: His "Kill for Mother" is Mid range (Down, Forward, Down, Forward, Triangle). It’s slow and deliberate, just like the character.
- Predator: Try "Ghostin' Us" at Mid range (Down, Down, Back, Forward, Square). It uses the iconic shoulder cannon.
- Triborg: This character is a 4-in-1 deal. Depending on which variation you pick (Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke, or Cyber Sub-Zero), the finishers change. It’s a lot to memorize, but it makes you versatile.
NetherRealm really outdid themselves with the sound design on these. On a good PS4 headset, the sound of bones snapping and the squelch of... well, everything else... is incredibly detailed. It adds to the satisfaction of finally nailing a combo into a finisher.
The Krypt: Where the Secrets Live
If you’re wondering why your move list is missing half the fatalities, it’s because you haven't explored the Krypt. It’s basically a first-person dungeon crawler hidden inside the game. You spend the Koins you earn from fights to "buy" tombstones and chests.
You don't technically need to unlock a fatality to use it. If you know the code (the button sequence), you can perform it even if it's locked in your move list. Once you do it successfully once, it will stay unlocked in your menu forever. This is a huge time-saver. You can just look up a list of inputs and go to town in Practice Mode.
Practice Makes Permanent
The best way to stop failing your finishers is to head into the "Fatality Practice" mode. It gives you a timer and shows the button prompts on the screen. It also draws a line on the ground showing you exactly where "Mid" or "Far" range is. Spend ten minutes there with your main character.
Learn the rhythm. Mortal Kombat isn't a "mash as fast as possible" game. It’s a "press with intent" game. If you mash, the game gets confused. If you press each direction clearly—click, click, click—the finisher will trigger every single time.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
To really master the finishers on PS4, follow this workflow:
- Switch to the D-Pad: Stop using the analog stick for finishers immediately.
- Hold R2 for "Up" Inputs: If a fatality requires you to press Up, hold the block button so you don't jump, then let go right before the final face button.
- Unlock via Doing: Don't waste Koins in the Krypt specifically looking for fatalities. Look the inputs up, perform them in a match, and they’ll unlock for free.
- Check Your Distance: Look at your character's feet. If you're doing a "Mid" fatality, you should be about two character-widths away.
- Ignore Easy Fatality Tokens: Sell them for Koins or just ignore them. They hold you back from actually learning the game mechanics.
The game is years old now, but the community is still active, and the local couch co-op appeal of Mortal Kombat XL is timeless. There is nothing quite like the silence in the room after you pull off a particularly gruesome finisher on your best friend. It’s the ultimate "mic drop" in fighting games. Keep your inputs clean, watch your spacing, and you'll never miss a "Finish Him" prompt again.