A mod for Mortal Kombat 1 allows players to access Ermac ahead of schedule

The undead warrior, Ermac, will not be playable in Mortal Kombat 1 until the first wave of downloadable content (DLC) is released. However, a modder has managed to add him to the game's roster ahead of schedule. Ermac was originally introduced in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in 1995 as a minion of Shao Khan, formed from the souls of those who perished in Outworld's wars. In Mortal Kombat 1, he receives a similar backstory, but is instead created by Quan Chi, utilizing the spirits of the Living Forrest, to serve him and Shang Tsung in their quest to conquer Outworld and regain their former power from the previous Mortal Kombat timeline.

Fans were taken aback by Ermac's significant role in the story of Mortal Kombat 1, considering he was initially announced as a post-launch DLC character. Surprisingly, players even engage in battles against Ermac at various points in the game. Ermac's prominence in the storyline surpasses that of several base fighters in Mortal Kombat 1, leading to concerns that both Ermac and the equally important Quan Chi were intentionally removed from the completed game to be sold as DLC. Fortunately, a skilled modder has discovered evidence to suggest that this is not the case.

This modder, known by the Twitter and YouTube handle ermaccer, recently demonstrated the functioning of Ermac's character model in Mortal Kombat 1's story mode. They achieved this by adding Ermac to the game's playable roster prematurely using a non-playable mod. According to the modder, Ermac's moveset in this state is a temporary arrangement that combines some of Shang Tsung's attacks with those of Noob Saibot from Mortal Kombat 11. As expected, the only moves he does not borrow are his distinctive slam attack and a basic green fireball projectile. Due to the incomplete nature of this moveset, Ermac is also devoid of any Fatalities or Brutalities.

Ermac is not the only unexpectedly prominent character in Mortal Kombat 1 who was not initially included in the game's main roster. Shang Tsung was offered as a pre-order bonus, and Quan Chi, as mentioned earlier, is part of the upcoming Kombat Pack 1 DLC. This upcoming content release will also feature Takeda, a ninja warrior-in-training, along with three guest characters: Homelander from The Boys, Omni-Man from Invincible, and the DC antihero Peacemaker, following the success of his HBO Max TV series.

The reason why Ermac and Quan Chi were not initially part of Mortal Kombat 1's main roster of playable characters, despite their significant roles in the single-player story campaign, remains a mystery. However, fans can rest assured that they were not removed from the completed game. The latest mod by Twitter user ermaccer serves as proof of this and offers an enjoyable glimpse into how Ermac might play when he is eventually added to the game through the Kombat Pack 1 DLC. It is highly likely that he will have a different set of attacks compared to his appearances in the story mode, adding further excitement to his eventual inclusion.

Mortal Kombat 1 is currently available for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: ermaccer/Twitter