Overview
Meteor Kick is the pinnacle Unarmed Combat skill in the Stamina Skill Tree, available to Kliff and Damiane. While high in the air, you slam your foot down with precision, driving a devastating diving kick into your target. It is one of the most powerful unarmed attacks in the game and the final unlock in the Unarmed Combat progression chain.
Skill Details
Property | Detail |
|---|---|
Skill Tree | Stamina (Unarmed Combat branch) |
10 Spirit | |
Characters | |
Level 5 (final tier) | |
Parent Skill | |
How to Unlock | Unarmed Combat Lv 5 |
Input | Triangle while high in air |
How to Unlock
Kliff
Raise Unarmed Combat to Level 5 by spending Abyss Artifacts, or observe the skill in action during gameplay to learn it for free. Since Unarmed Combat starts at Level 1 by default, reaching Level 5 requires investing 4 additional Abyss Artifacts through the progression chain.
Damiane
Raise Unarmed Combat to Level 5. Damiane cannot learn Meteor Kick through observation; she must invest the Abyss Artifacts directly.
Unarmed Combat Progression
Meteor Kick sits at the top of the Unarmed Combat tree. Both Kliff and Damiane follow the same progression path:
Level | Skill | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Lv.1 | Sweep the enemy's legs to knock them down | |
Lv.2 | Grab and slam the enemy with a scissor hold | |
Lv.3 | Increases base unarmed strike damage | |
Lv.4 | Launch at an airborne enemy and kick them | |
Lv.5 | Precise diving kick from high altitude |
Note: Oongka follows a slightly different Unarmed Combat tree. His Level 1 skill is Low Dropkick instead of Leg Sweep, and he does not have Flying Kick at Level 4. Oongka does gain Meteor Kick at Level 5.
Combat Tips
You need to be high in the air for Meteor Kick to activate. Combine it with jumps, Flight, or elevated terrain to reach the required altitude. The Aerial Force Palm triple-jump technique (using Force Palm three times mid-air) is a fast way to gain height without consuming Stamina.
The diving trajectory makes it extremely difficult for enemies to dodge, especially during boss encounters where the target is large and slow-moving. Lock on to the enemy before initiating the kick for consistent accuracy.
At 10 Spirit per use, the cost is low enough to use repeatedly. The main limitation is getting airborne, not the resource cost.
Meteor Kick can be enhanced with elemental effects through Elemental Meteor Kick (Imbue Element Level 4, costs 20 Spirit). Adding Frost, Flame, Lightning, or Wind damage on top of the already-powerful diving kick makes it one of the strongest single attacks in the game.
Hidden Aerial and Running Inputs
The in-game description covers the basic drop, but Meteor Kick has a pair of extra inputs that change its trajectory and let it chain out of other mobility moves. The variant you get depends on your altitude when you commit to the kick and on whether you already have the Drop Kick skill unlocked.
Move | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Liu Kang Style Flying Kick | Hold triangle (melee) while midair | Holding the melee button in the air commits Kliff to a full forward flying kick instead of a vertical stomp. It covers distance and feels like a classic fighting game aerial, great for closing on retreating enemies. |
Low Altitude Flat Meteor | Hold triangle from a lower jump height | Performing the input from a short hop flattens the trajectory so the kick travels almost horizontally. Useful at ground level where a full diving kick would overshoot the target. |
Running Jump Spin Kick | Press triangle while running (requires Drop Kick unlocked) | Once Drop Kick is unlocked, pressing the melee button while running produces a jumping spin kick variant. This shares the same button as Meteor Kick on the ground, so the two moves combo together as part of the overall Unarmed Combat move set. |
Because these are not listed in the move description, many players only ever see the default straight-down version. Experiment with jump height and with running into the input to unlock the full range of aerial finishers.