While announced months ago, the most recent Mortal Kombat 9 patch has remained elusive, up until this week. Many have speculated on its kontents, while an equal number were left to wonder if the update would ever even arrive.

Now it’s here with many of the changes sought by both amateurs and high-level players. The latest Mortal Kombat patch has buffed many of the worst characters, like Baraka, Sheeva, and Stryker, while toning down Kung Lao some of the more annoying characters. Throw in some bug fixes, and it’s a good reason to get your murdering on once again.

General Gameplay Fixes/Tweaks

• Fixed a couple of crash scenarios.
• DLC billboards should now behave correctly on Xbox
• You should no longer see online desyncs on Xbox that are related to alternate costumes or classic costume DLC packs.
• MOTD handling and displaying code was tweaked.
• Fixed a bug that could have resulted in tweakvars getting corrupted.
• Fixed a crash in player select if you tried to exit out while the dlc box was open.
• With the exception of Human Cyrax and Human Sektor, everyone’s alternate costumes should behave the same as their primary costumes and have the exact same move properties.
• You can now block after a dash forward is completed if it was cancelled into from a special move. You canceling out of a dash into another dash was normalized for most of the characters. Dash Block canceling remains the same.
• Wakeup attacks should have better invulnerability on them if done in the first 4 frames of the wakeup window. (this was added as a hotfix tweakable value)
• You no longer get a completely free throw attempt after someone blocks your jump punch. The opponent has less block hit frames but chained combos from a jump punch will remain the same.
• There were several reactions that could freeze players just before they landed from attacks and reactions such as Kano’s Airball and Cyrax’s Net air reaction.
• Made many minor hitbox adjustments.
• Tweaked the negative edge window.
• Several low attacks were being parried incorrectly.
• Nightwolf and Kenshi can no longer still absorb a projectile if they get hit out of their enhanced reflects before the recovery frames start.

Baraka

• Baraka’s Blade Spin move starts up faster and is safer when blocked.
• Baraka’s Enhanced Blade Charge (Blade Rush) attack goes farther now.
• Baraka’s Chop Chop no longer auto corrects mid-move.

Cyber Subzero

• Cyber Subzero can no longer handcuff certain characters by catching a wakeup attack with his enhanced Ice Parry.

Cyrax

• Cyrax’s Buzzsaw is an overhead block and safer when blocked
• Cyrax’s Bombs will no longer pop someone up who is in a 2nd Net reaction or in a Buzzsaw reaction.
• Cyrax’s mk3 costume should behave the same as the primary costume now.

Ermac

• Ermac can no longer leave an invisible fireball collision around.
• Fixed damage scaling a few of his reactions.

Jade

• All of Jade’s Enhanced Boomerangs (Reboomerang) will now return when the first hit is blocked.
• Jade’s Staff Grab is slightly safer when blocked.
• Jade’s U3 attack (Pole Vault) can be ducked.
• Jade’s 4,F3 kick (Polecat) is safer when blocked.

Jax

• The armor on Jax’s Enhanced Dash Punch (Dash Fist) and X-Ray (Briggs Bash) now starts instantly.
• Added armor to the startup of Jax’s Enhanced Elbow (Elite Smash).
• Jax’s projectiles (Energy Wave) recover a tiny bit faster.
• Jax’s towards 3 attack (Big Leg) is now an overhead.
• Jax can no longer frame trap someone with his Gotcha Grab.

Johnny Cage

• Johnny Cage’s F3,2 (Take Two) no longer true combos into 2in1’d special moves
• Johnny Cage’s Nut Punch does slightly less damage.

Kabal

• Kabal can no longer leave an invisible fireball collision around.
• Removed a couple unavoidable block traps with Kabal. (with F2 and 4)

Kano

• If you don’t charge and hold the Enhanced Kano Ball it will now keep its armor.
• Kano’s Knife Toss recovers slightly faster.

Kitana

• Kitana’s Fan reactions on an airborne opponent damage scale correctly now.
• Kitana’s X-Ray (Fan-Tastic) can no longer be reflected.

Kung Lao

• Removed the pushback on Kunglao’s spin when blocked.
• Ground Hat now leaves both players at neutral when hit close and leaves Kung Lao at a disadvantage when blocked up close.
• Kung Lao’s overhead hat attack is slightly safer when blocked.

Liu Kang

• Lui Kang’s Parry now can correctly give a first hit bonus!

Nightwolf

• Nightwolf’s reflect should work better as a wakeup attack.

Noob Saibot

• Noob’s Teleport Slam should connect better with some opponents.
• Noob should no longer be hit on the ground after he is up in the air for his teleport.
• Noob’s Shadow Charge hits overhead.

Quan Chi

• Fixed an isse where Quan Chi’s Skull Projectile (Skull Ball) could sometimes become invisible.
• Added some armor to the Quan Chi’s Enhanced Sky Drop (Sky Stomp).

Raiden

• Raiden can no longer unavoidably frame trap someone with his Vicinity Blast.
• Raiden has 2 additional recovery frames on his normal Teleport.
• Raiden can’t be hit during his Enhanced Teleport (Sparkport).

Reptile

• Reptile whiffed Elbow Dash now builds slightly less meter.
• Reptile is held slightly longer after knocking someone down with the Elbow Dash.
• A blocked Reptile Elbow Dash no longer pushes back.
• Reptile’s Enhanced Slide (Slime Trail) now has armor on it.
• Reptile can no longer leave an invisible Forceball collision around.

Scorpion

• Scorpion’s Leg Takedown is safer when blocked.
• Scorpion’s Enhanced Leg Takedown (Takeout) now has armor on it.

Sektor

• Sektor can now 2in1 into the front and behind Up Missiles
• Sektor’s mk3 outfit should behave the same as the primary costume
• Sektor’s backjets will no longer get stuck firing, wasting precious fuel. (Yay!)
• Sektor’s X-Ray (Massive Missile) can no longer be reflected.

Shang Tsung

• The armor on Shang’s Enhanced Soul Steal now starts instantly
• Shang Tsung’s Enhanced Soul Steal (Soul Capture) activates faster.

Sheeva

• Sheeva’s Fireball is a mid block now and the Enhanced Fireball (Fire Blast) is an overhead.
• Sheeva’s Ground Pound can correctly give a first hit bonus!
• Sheeva’s Enhanced Jump Stomp (Jump Crush) now has armor on it.
• Sheeva’s Air Grab has better anti-air collision on it.

Sindel

• Sindel can no longer leave behind an invisible fireball collision around.
• Sindel’s B1 attack is a low block.
• Sindel’s Enhanced Scream is slightly faster now.
• Sindel’s Scream (Yell) can no longer be parried.

Smoke

• It’s no longer possible to handcuff opponents with Smoke’s Vibration (Shake) Parry.

Sonya

• The armor on Sonya’s cartwheel (Krazy Legs) lasts until the first collision and Archkick’s (Arc Wave) armor lasts until her arch is almost over.
• Sonya’s 1,1,4 (Fierce Assault) no longer true combos into 2in1’d special moves from it.
• Sonya’s 3,1,4 (Beat Up) no longer true combos into 2in1’d special moves from it.

Stryker

• Stryker’s Enhanced Baton (Baton Bash) Sweep’s 2nd hit is an overhead and is safer when blocked.
• Stryker’s Grenades recover slightly faster.
• Stryker’s Baton Roll starts up faster and the enhanced version has armor on it for a longer time.
• Stryker’s Grenade Toss and Baton Sweep do slightly more damage.
• Stryker’s B1,2,2 (Beatdown) combo is safer when blocked.

Sub Zero

• Fixed some of the Ground Freeze reaction properties which were causing some other gameplay issues.
• Sub Zero’s Enhanced Slide (Power Slide) now has armor.
• The opponent is frozen for 10 additional frames to allow him to at least get a slide in for some trade cases were he could get nothing before.

Freddy Krueger

• Freddy’s Nightmare Stance can’t be repeated instantly anymore.
• Fixed a bug where Freddy could get stuck being immune to projectiles.
• Freddy forward and backward Teleports (Hell Shift) build slightly less meter.
• Some of Freddy reactions were not damage scaling correctly.
• Tweaked the recovery on some of Freddy specials.

Kenshi

• Kenshi’s X-Ray (Soul Blade) can no longer be reflected.
• Kenshi is freed up sooner now when he absorbs a projectile with his (Blade Absorb)
• Kenshi’s F2,2,B1 (Absentminded) reaction no longer lets opponents be hit just as they hit the ground.

Skarlet

• Skarlet has an additional 10 frames before she can cancel out of her normal dagger toss.
• Skarlet can no longer 2in1 cancel out of her Slide attack from her Red Dash.
• Skarlet’s back throw now does normal damage.
• Skarlet can do her U3 (Lifting Leg) attack from a dash now.

Thanks to Jimmypotato of GameFAQs.