Mortal Kombat wouldn’t be the franchise it is without the ‘Palette Swap Ninjas’ like Scorpion and Sub-Zero, and every once in a while, NetherRealm introduces a new ninja with a different set of powers.
The PSNs have ranged in every color from yellow (Scorpion) to orange (Tremor), and the recent update for Mortal Kombat 1 introduced a brand new pink ninja named Floyd.
Who is Floyd in Mortal Kombat 1?
Floyd is a secret character in Mortal Kombat 1 that will challenge players to a fight if they manage to complete a bunch of challenges. His name refers to the band Pink Floyd, which is fitting since other ninjas in the game also had a gimmick for their names. Rain is named after the album Purple Rain by Prince, and Noob Saibot is the names of the game’s co-creators—Ed Boon and John Tobias—spelled backward.
Like the rest of his predecessors, Floyd is the pink palette swap of Scorpion, and he has the abilities of the Chameleon when he fights. It’s worth noting that Floyd is not an unlockable character, and the only reason people have been seeing his gameplay online is through mods.
Reptile in the Original Mortal Kombat
The hunt for Floyd is a callback to the first Mortal Kombat game where Reptile was a secret character. Players would go on meticulous easter egg hunts in-game to try and unlock a fight with Reptile—who, at that point, didn’t even have the reptile-based powers that he eventually has in future games.
In true Mortal Kombat fashion, the devs have left the hunt for Floyd to the players themselves, and spreadsheets (from @thethiny) have been compiled on what challenges will help to summon Floyd in the game. From what can be gathered, the challenges rotate daily for every player, and there’s also a limited number of challenges a player can do in a day.
There are 37 challenges so far, but players don’t have to beat all of them to get into the boss fight with Floyd. Notably, 37 is also the number of tracks in the Many Faces of Pink Floyd album, so that’s another reference to the band.
Beating Floyd
Take note: it’s said that beating Floyd is pretty tough, and you lose the match immediately after only one round. Luckily, players can always try again with him. Since Floyd moves pretty fast and is pretty sturdy, it’s suggested that patience is key in this boss fight; just make sure to keep blocking his attacks and hitting him with a quick combo before you start blocking again.
Again, there is no way to unlock Floyd as a playable character, but defeating him unlocks the stage where you fight him, plus other cosmetics—like Floyd skins for Sub-Zero and Scorpion kameos.
Fans are still gathering information about Floyd, so expect the guides to change over time as more is discovered.
Mortal Kombat 1 is now available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.