At launch, there are 22 playable Kombatants in Mortal Kombat 1; 23 if one includes the Shang Tsung pre-order bonus. However, players will notice pretty quickly that one of these fighters will be greyed out on the character select screen when they first start the game. It's still possible to hover the cursor over him, but players will need to unlock Havik before they can use him in battle.
Unlockable fighters used to be fairly common in fighting games until developers realized that they could make more money by selling additional fighters as DLC rather than handing them out for free. Thankfully, the developers of Mortal Kombat 1 still believe in this timeless tradition to a certain degree, as evidenced by NetherRealm's decision to lock Havik behind progression rather than another paywall.
How to Unlock Havik in Mortal Kombat 1
In order to unlock Havik as a playable Kombatant, players will simply need to complete Mortal Kombat 1's story mode. This can be done on any difficulty setting, with Havik and a few other rewards being unlocked the moment players complete the final battle. In the event that players don't unlock Havik after completing the story, NetherRealm suggests opening up the Kombat Kard and checking the rewards section. The developer also states that players will need to be online in order to claim rewards and unlock Havik in Mortal Kombat 1.
How Long Does it Take to Complete MK1's Story Mode?
Mortal Kombat 1's story mode is made up of 15 chapters and should take most players around four or five hours to complete, depending on their skill level and their chosen difficulty setting. It's possible to shave a pretty decent chunk off of that time by skipping through all of the cutscenes, but those interested in unlocking Havik are presumably the same people who would be interested in taking in the game's highly enjoyable narrative, so skipping through cutscenes probably won't be an option for most players.
Are There Any Other Unlockables in Mortal Kombat 1?
In addition to Havik, players will be able to unlock a bunch of cosmetic items by playing through the main story. There are also five unlockable Kameo fighters, though these are unlocked by raising one's profile level rather than playing through the story mode. Scorpion unlocks at level 5, Sub-Zero at level 10, Kung Lao at level 15, Shujinko at level 20, and Motaro at level 25, thus bringing the total number of Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 up to 15 at launch.
Mortal Kombat 1 is available now on PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.