Back in 2002, Mortal Kombat wasn’t just a game; it was a lifestyle. You’d sit in front of a flickering CRT TV, hands cramped from a PS2 or GameCube controller, trying to figure out why on earth you couldn't play as Cyrax yet. Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance cheats weren't like the ones in the 90s. You couldn't just tap a "Blood Code" at the start screen and call it a day.
Midway changed the rules. They gave us the Krypt—a massive, terrifying grid of 676 "koffins" that housed everything from secret characters to concept art of some cereal box called "Kano's Cereal." If you wanted the good stuff, you had to earn it. Honestly, the grind was real.
But here’s the thing: nobody has time to open 676 boxes blindly. Most of them are literally empty or contain a sketch of a tree. You need to know exactly where the bodies are buried.
Unlocking the Roster: Who is Actually Playable?
If you're looking at your character select screen and seeing a bunch of empty boxes, don't panic. You haven't broken the game. You just haven't spent enough "kurrency." Unlike later games where you might buy DLC, here you have to farm six different types of Koins: Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, Jade, Onyx, and Platinum.
Most people think you can just "cheat" your way to Raiden. You can't. You have to buy him.
- Cyrax: Look for Koffin CN. It’ll set you back 3,003 Platinum Koins.
- Drahmin: He’s in Koffin UR. Hope you’ve been saving your Sapphire Koins, because he costs 6,500 of them.
- Frost: Sub-Zero’s apprentice is in Koffin IV. Surprisingly cheap at 208 Ruby Koins.
- Hsu Hao: Find him in Koffin MW for 3,317 Jade Koins.
- Jax: The man with the metal arms is in Koffin SA. That's 3,780 Ruby Koins.
- Kitana: Princess Kitana is in Koffin KI for 2,931 Sapphire Koins.
- Nitara: Our favorite vampire is in Koffin TI for 4,022 Gold Koins.
- Raiden: The God of Thunder is tucked away in Koffin XG for 3,116 Jade Koins.
- Reptile: The lizard man is in Koffin LL for 3,822 Gold Koins.
Wait, what about Blaze and Mokap?
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They aren't in the Krypt. Not at all. To get these two, you have to suffer through Konquest mode. And when I say suffer, I mean complete every single mission for every single character. All 218 of them. Once that’s done, you highlight Raiden and hold Down + Start to pick Blaze, or highlight Cyrax and do the same for Mokap. It’s a lot of work for a guy in a motion-capture suit, but hey, completionism is a disease.
The Secret Economy: How to Get Infinite Koins
Let’s be real. Farming Koins in Arcade mode is slow. It’s painful. You win a fight, you get a handful of Gold Koins. Big deal. If you want to unlock the whole Krypt without spending the next three years of your life on it, you need to use the profile wager trick.
You’ve got a second controller? Good.
Basically, you create two different player profiles. Start a Versus match. Before the fight begins, you’ll see an option to wager Koins. Player 1 bets a massive amount of, say, Onyx Koins. Player 2 bets nothing. Player 1 wins the match.
The "cheat" part? Player 1 gets the winnings, but since it’s a local versus match and profiles are saved differently, you can manipulate the save data to ensure you aren't actually losing funds on the secondary account. Even simpler: just use the KWIKKASH name trick on the GBA version if you’re playing on a handheld. On consoles, it's all about the wager.
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Where to Spend Those Hard-Earned Koins
Not everything in the Krypt is a character. Some of the coolest Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance cheats are actually the alternate costumes. You haven't lived until you’ve seen Johnny Cage in a tuxedo or Kung Lao in his classic MK1 outfit.
- Johnny Cage (Tuxedo): Koffin DK (1,460 Ruby).
- Sub-Zero (Masked): Koffin YA (1,999 Sapphire).
- Scorpion (Flaming Skull): Koffin UH (1,660 Jade).
- Shang Tsung (MK2 Era): Koffin ML (1,170 Gold).
Avoid Koffins RO and PD. The game literally tells you "Rip Off" or "Pay Day" and gives you nothing or a tiny amount of koins back. It’s Ed Boon trolling us from twenty years ago.
Fatalities Are Different This Time
Forget the "Close," "Sweep," or "Far" distance requirements from the old games. In Deadly Alliance, distance doesn't matter. The game will actually slide your character into the correct position once you put the code in. It feels a bit like cheating, but it makes the finishers much more accessible.
Here are a few you’ll actually use:
- Scorpion (Spear Head): Back, Back, Down, Back + 4 (Circle/B/A).
- Sub-Zero (Skeleton Rip): Back, Forward, Forward, Down + 3 (X/A/B).
- Quan Chi (Neck Stretcher): Back, Back, Forward, Back + 3 (X/A/B).
The "Neck Stretcher" is infamous for being one of the goofiest looking finishers in the series. It’s almost a crime not to see it at least once.
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Myths and "Ghost" Characters
Back in the day, forums like GameFAQs were filled with rumors about unlocking Moloch or even Ermac. People swore if you opened certain koffins in a specific order (like RA and then IN to get Rain), you’d unlock hidden ninjas.
I’m here to tell you: it’s all fake.
Moloch is a sub-boss. He is not playable in the base game without an Action Replay or Gameshark. There is no secret "Nudality." There is no way to play as the "Grid" characters beyond the Mokap/Blaze unlocks. The "12:43" clock secret? Just a reference to a time on a clock in the background of a stage. Nothing more.
Actionable Tips for the Modern Player
If you are firing this up on an emulator or original hardware today, do this:
- Prioritize Test Your Might: It’s the fastest way to get Onyx and Platinum koins, which are the rarest.
- Focus on the "Big Five": Don’t waste koins on art. Open CN, UR, IV, MW, SA, KI, TI, XG, and LL first. That’s your full roster.
- Konquest is a Tutorial: If you’re struggling with the combat system (which is very different from MK3 or MK11), Konquest actually teaches you the specific combos for each style. It’s tedious, but it makes you a better player.
- The Versus Wager: If you have a friend (or just a second controller and two hands), the wager system is the only way to "fast-track" the Krypt.
Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance was a turning point for the franchise. It moved away from the 2D sprites and into a gritty, 3D world with multiple fighting styles. While the "cheats" are more about unlocking content than entering "Down, Up, Left, Left, A," the satisfaction of finally clearing out the Krypt is still there. Just watch out for those empty koffins.