Starting as a martial artist in vanilla Kenshi is quite a challenge. You watch your character get stuck in an endless dodge dance, unable to land a hit while Hungry Bandits chew on their toes. But what if it didn't have to be that way?
What if you could turn that clumsy brawler into a fluid, deadly fighter straight out of a classic kung fu film? That's where mods come in. With the right set of Kenshi martial arts mods, you can completely transform unarmed combat.
Martial Arts Fast Dodger
Ever watched your character dodge, then dodge again and again, while three enemies take turns attacking and you can't land a single hit? Of course you have. This mod actually fixes that. It's one of the most important mods for any martial artist, full stop.
- Increases the speed of dodge animations by 40%.
- Prevents the infamous "dodge dance" cycle.
- Lets you attack more often in group fights.
✅ Gameplay changes: The difference is night and day. Combat becomes fluid and responsive. You can finally hold your own against several opponents without being locked into your own evasive maneuvers. Your character feels like a trained fighter rather than a clumsy person having a fit.
Martial Arts No Matrix Dodge
Fast Dodger helps, but there's also that most ridiculous-looking martial arts animation to deal with. The Matrix-style dodge, with its slow-motion backward bend, looks completely out of place in Kenshi's harsh world.
- Disables the long, dramatic Matrix dodge animation.
- Makes the character use a faster, more practical backward hop.
✅ Gameplay changes: Dodging becomes more consistent and believable. Paired with Fast Dodger, it creates a realistic, effective defensive style that feels much more viable and less like a trip to the circus.
Sensible Martial Arts — A Martial Arts Overhaul
This mod tackles balance. Vanilla Martial Arts are weak early on and can become overpowered in the late game.
- Improves effectiveness at low levels and makes training easier.
- Reduces absurd damage at very high levels.
- Increases dodge speed to reduce dodge dancing.
- Adjusts when techniques unlock for a better sense of progression.
✅ Gameplay changes: The martial artist's journey becomes more rewarding. You're no longer useless for the first 20 hours, and you won't be one-shotting Leviathans at the end. It strikes a good balance, keeping Martial Arts powerful without breaking the game.
Martial Arts Rebalanced
If Sensible Martial Arts feels too complicated, this is another excellent overhaul aimed at the same core problem: poor balance. It focuses more on attack speed than raw damage.
- Rebalances Martial Arts to make speed more important.
- Addresses the "weak early, strong late" problem.
- A simpler, more focused alternative to a full overhaul.
✅ Gameplay changes: This offers another route to a balanced martial artist. Although I personally prefer Sensible Martial Arts for its deeper changes to skill progression, Martial Arts Rebalanced is an excellent, simpler option if you want a straightforward rebalance without extra complications.
GROUNDED 2 Combat Animations
If you want a unique moveset tailored to your fighter, this mod is for you. It adds a huge number of new animations specifically for martial artists, setting them apart from weapon users.
- Adds over 75 new attack animations to the game.
- Includes 15 new animations specifically for martial arts.
- Adds 4 new side dodge animations, giving martial artists more mobility.
- Animations unlock gradually as your skill level increases.
✅ Gameplay changes: Your fighters look and feel more versatile. The new dodges are lifesavers, and watching new punches and kicks appear as you level gives an excellent sense of progress.
Flashier Fight
If you simply want combat to look cooler overall, Flashier Fight is an interesting alternative. Instead of keeping fighting styles separate, it mixes them together.
- Gives weapon users Martial Arts moves, and vice versa.
- Increases attack speed by 10% and defense speed by 20%.
- Improves recovery from staggering by 30%.
✅ Gameplay changes: This makes all combat more dynamic, at the cost of distinct styles. Seeing a samurai kick is cool, but it blurs the boundaries between disciplines. It's a matter of taste: choose GROUNDED 2 if you want your martial artist to feel like a specialist, or Flashier Fight if you want everyone to be a little more Jackie Chan.
More Training Dummies
Vanilla Martial Arts training options are limited. This mod greatly expands them, letting you train what you want, when you want, without resorting to dirty tricks.
- Adds three tiers of training dummies (training up to levels 10, 25, and 50).
- Includes dedicated dummies for Martial Arts, Strength, Dexterity, and more.
- Organizes dummies into logical categories in the build menu.
✅ Gameplay changes: This gives you a clear, balanced way to train your squad at home. No more trapping bandits in cages just to raise your skills. You can build a proper dojo and train recruits in a way that feels natural and rewarding.
Fist Weapons of Kenshi (Belt Edition)
Brass knuckles in Kenshi? This mod adds them in a balanced way, using the belt slot to provide bonuses without replacing your hands entirely.
- Adds Katars, Tekko, and Tekko-Kagi as belt-slot items.
- Provides different Martial Arts bonuses.
- Includes a small attack penalty to balance their use of the belt slot.
- Weapons can be crafted and found in stores around the world.
✅ Gameplay changes: This gives you another equipment slot to customize your martial artist build. The author notes crash problems with the weapon-slot version, so I strongly recommend this Belt Edition.
Martial Arts Armour Set
Fighting without armor looks cool, but isn't always practical. This mod adds an attractive, lore-friendly armor set designed specifically for martial artists.
- Adds a full set of specialized armor with a unique "monstrous" design.
- Offers a balance of protection and flexibility.
- Blueprints are available from various traders (the Holy Nation, Mongrel, and Tech Hunters).
✅ Gameplay changes: Finally, an armor set that looks right without undermining your Dodge and Martial Arts skills. It's ideal for role-playing and provides decent protection.
Martial Artist Start
Look, I get it. Sometimes you just want to reach the good part. If starting as a nobody and getting beaten up for ten hours isn't your idea of fun, this mod is for you.
- Provides a dedicated "Martial Artist" game start.
- Starts your character with some basic unarmed combat skills.
✅ Gameplay changes: This lets you skip the brutal early grind. Personally, I think the true Kenshi journey means earning those first few skill points through pain and persistence. But if this is your tenth playthrough and you just want to start kicking people, Martial Artist Start is a straightforward way to do it.
Recommended Load Order for Martial Arts Mods
These mods are compatible with each other, but need proper configuration. See how to install and configure mods for optimal performance.
What I Recommend
- Essential fixes: Martial Arts Fast Dodger + Martial Arts No Matrix Dodge. Don't leave home without them.
- Balance (choose one): Sensible Martial Arts (my pick) for a deeper overhaul, or Martial Arts Rebalanced for a simpler, speed-focused alternative.
- Visual style (choose one): GROUNDED 2 for a specialist martial artist, or Flashier Fight for Hollywood-style mixed combat for everyone.
- Essential additions: More Training Dummies, Fist Weapons of Kenshi (Belt Edition), and Martial Arts Armour Set for training and equipment.
The Final Strike
Building the perfect martial artist in Kenshi is a journey, and these mods make it much better. They fix awkward mechanics, smooth out the difficulty, and add flavor missing from the vanilla game.
Found something worthwhile? Share its name and I'll take a look, and perhaps update the list. The important thing is that the mod fits into the rest of your setup.
