Killer Instinct combos consist of an Opener followed by an Auto Double or manual double, extended by a Linker, followed by another Auto Double or manual cancel, and then finished off with an Ender (see character flowcharts for possible variations). Combos can be extended even longer than this, inflicting even more damage.
POTENTIAL DAMAGE AND INSTANT DAMAGE
Anytime you begin a combo, you will notice a portion of your opponent’s life bar start to flash white. This represents the Potential Damage of a combo. The remainder of the damage is guaranteed and reduces the main health bar immediately; this portion is known as Instant Damage. To cash in Potential Damage, you need to end the combo with an Ender. This represents the total damage you have the potential to inflict, but the full damage is not guaranteed until you end the combo with an Ender. If your opponent breaks the combo or if you drop the combo for any reason (i.e., attempting a Counter Breaker at the wrong time, attempting a reset, or just flat-out messing up your combo), the only life your opponent is guaranteed to lose is the part of the life bar that is not flashing. The Potential Damage will refill slowly over time; however, if your opponent gets caught with another combo as the Potential Damage is refilling, the Potential Damage stops the refill. Upon ending the current combo with an Ender, you will be awarded the remaining Potential Damage from the previous combo, as well as the damage from the current combo.
KNOCKDOWN VALUE METER
The Knockdown Value Meter, or KV Meter for short, is the meter that pops up anytime a combo begins. This meter governs just how far you can extend the combo before your opponent gets knocked down from being hit too many times before the combo ends. The attacks you use in the combo determine just how quickly or slowly the KV Meter builds. Light attacks are harder for the opponent to combo break, but they fill the KV Meter very fast, which doesn’t give you a very damaging combo. Medium attacks fill the KV Meter quickly as well, though not as quickly as Light attacks. Medium attacks also inflict more damage than Light attacks, but they are easier to combo break because they come out slower and are easier for your opponent to see. Heavy attacks build the KV Meter slower than any other attack, granting you the most damage potential. But because these attacks come out slower than both Light and Medium attacks, your opponent has the most time to see which attacks are being used in order to execute a Combo Breaker.
COMBO OPENERS
Openers are completely unbreakable and come in two forms: manual Opener or Special attacks designated as Openers. A manual Opener is a normal attack (grounded or jump in) that allows you to go right into an Auto Double or Ender. An Opener Special attack is a designated Special Move that allows you to go into an Auto Double/manual cancel or into an Ender.
AUTO DOUBLE
After landing an Opener, following up with any attack button will execute an additional 2 hits known as an Auto Double. The strength of the attack used (Light/Medium/Heavy) determines the speed and damage of the Auto Double, as well as the amount of the KV Meter that gets built up.
MANUAL CANCEL
Manuals are an advanced way to make combos harder to break. Manuals can replace Auto Doubles in combos. To perform a manual, you need to precisely time a normal attack after an Opener, Linker, or Shadow Linker. This cancels the last 5 recovery frames of the Opener or the Linker, giving you 5 additional frames on top of the frame advantage on hit to get a manual in.
COMBO LINKERS
Linkers follow the Auto Double or manual cancel and allow you to extend the combo. Killer Instinct combos are basically multiple combos linked together to form one big combo. The Linker links everything together. Each character has Special attacks that are designated Linkers. Light Linkers are performed by executing the input for the attack + Light Punch/Kick, Medium Linkers are performed by executing the input for the attack + Medium Punch/Kick, and Heavy Linkers are performed by executing the input for the attack + holding Light or Medium Punch/Kick.
COMBO ENDERS
Enders do just that: end your combo, allowing you to inflict all of your guaranteed damage to your opponent. Different Enders have different uses (i.e., damage, meter building, launcher, wall splat). The more Potential Damage your combo does, the higher level the Ender will be and the larger the result of its use will be. Potential Damage of 0–9 results in a level 1, 10–19 in a level 2, 20–29 in a level 3, and 30+ in a level 4 Ender.
WALL SPLATS
A wall splat occurs only in corners and only after a specific Ender. Using a specific Heavy Punch/Kick Ender will cause a wall splat on a cornered opponent. This Ender will give you all of your Potential Damage from the combo that just ended and one free Opener, The wall splat, however, will not reset the KV Meter.
ULTRA COMBO
In Killer Instinct, the Ultra Combo is the ULTIMATE coup de grâce. It is one of the most legendary ways to finish off your opponent. The Ultra Combo is a ridiculously large combo that you can activate only when your opponent is down to the last 15% of his or her second life bar, also known as “Danger.” An Ultra Combo ends the match once it’s activated and cannot be broken, no matter how much you add to the hits of the combo. You can end the Ultra Combo early by pressing Medium Punch + Medium Kick at any point during the Ultra Combo.