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Killer Instinct 2.13 patch will assist newcomers with Combo Assist Mode

Learning the combo-heavy stylings of Killer Instinct can be intimidating, which is something Iron Galaxy is hoping to address with tonight's 2.13 update.

Ozzie Mejia

December 22, 2015 10:47 AM

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There's no denying that Killer Instinct can have a high barrier of entry. Given that it's about to join the Xbox Games with Gold lineup in January, now would be the ideal time to get new players in, but that intimidation factor is still there for a lot of people. After all, Killer Instinct is obviously very combo-heavy. Fortunately, it looks like the next update will attempt to address this.

The upcoming 2.13 update will add a new Combo Assist Mode, which reduces many of the follow-up motions in a complex combo. It makes performing combos rely less on motion and more on proper timing.

"Combo Assist Mode is an optional control mode that gives you no-motion cancels," Iron Galaxy's Adam Heart writes in the announcement post. "The motion input for a special move serves as part of the startup time for the move when performed from neutral. This is a very important part of how the game is balanced and played. In a combo, however, the motions used for cancels are mostly superficial (especially in KI with no charge moves) and change nothing about how the game would be played. All of the timing, all of the cancel windows, everything about the game is the same when using Combo Assist Mode."

Combo Assist Mode works over standard controls, leaving essential elements of the game the same. No advantages are given in terms of timing, defense, or combo breakers, while endeavoring to teach people to move away from button mashing.

The 2.13 update for Killer Instinct will arrive later tonight, with patch notes set to be posted shortly before its deployment.

Update: As promised, the patch notes are now up and running. As for anyone that wants to see how the Combo Assist Mode works, here's Killer Instinct expert Maximilian.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?