Rivals of Aether II News

It’s February and love is in the air - and so is that Ranno you just bodied. Today our February event, LOVE STRUCK, kicks off from 2/4 - 3/4.

This month’s free event track will net players some LOVEly new items, including the Hearts Orcane skin, Love struck platform, Heartsplosion Death effect, Tuxedo Ranno emote, more. Be sure to check out the event trailer below to see everything in action. Delivered from a dashing Orby in a hat:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Using any skins from the event will give you a 20% bonus to your event XP track, plus Ladybug Kragg, Dalmatian Forsburn, and Tuxedo Ranno also apply.



Speaking of things we love, we also have a BRAND NEW Character Select Screen making its debut today! Players will find fresh new art and increased mouse functionality for selecting characters and player slots. Our first big menu update released in December with our replay menu rework, and we’re excited to keep improving the game as we check stuff off our development roadmap.



Here are the gameplay and balance changes included in this update. As always, please leave feedback on our nolt board and send us any bugs you encounter in our discord.

• New Character Select Screen added!
  
  • Menu and Characters Boxes have been updated with new art.
    
  • The mouse can now be used to select characters and add players/CPUs.
    
• Added alternate victory lines for Clairen, Fleet, Maypul, Forsburn, Etalus and Loxodont.
  
• Bug fix: Shield stun values are now properly reset when you get pushed off the edge of a platform while in shield.
  
  • This fixes a bug that would cause the next attack on an opponent’s shield to have the same shieldstun value of the attack that previously pushed the player off a platform.
    

• Bug fix: Lily will no longer give the opponent 10 frames of knockback armor when wrapping them.
  
  • This caused Maypul's attacks to do no knockback if she hit the opponent within 10 frames of Lily wrapping them.
    

• Bug Fix: Clone will no longer taunt when the player presses left/right taunt inputs.
  
  • This bug allowed Forsburn to destroy his clone in the air, leaving a smoke cloud that he could use for recovery.
    

• Forward Special icicles will now be destroyed when passing the blastzones.
  
  • This will remove their ability to break Kragg’s pillar long after they leave the screen.
    
• Up Special hitbox reaches 20cm higher and no longer has 2 hitboxes to cover the foreground and background.
  
  • Separating it into 2 hitboxes made it worse at hitting hurtboxes in the center of the gameplay plane, so now it just reaches higher up in general to make it consistently hit grounded opponents standing next to Etalus.
    
• Bug fix: Up Special's projectile intangibility is now properly removed when he starts falling.
  
• Bug fix: Canceling the Frozen state into another custom state (i.e. Kragg's Pillar Fall state) will no longer preserve the armor from the Frozen state.
  

• Bug fix: Forward Special can now fullhop when using tap jump.
  

• Lava pool detection distance is now calculated from the edge of the lava pool instead of the center, increasing the distance where a character is considered standing on it.
  
  • This change affects thinner characters more than wider ones. For example, Clairen's lava pool detection range is 20cm wider, while Loxodont's is only 5cm wider.
• Bug fix: Special pummel will now absorb the lava pools it creates even when used near a ledge.
  

• Grab now has a hitbox lower in front of him to prevent it from whiffing against short characters.
  
• Dash/Pivot Grab hitboxes cleaned up.
  
  • Previously they were attached to the wrong bones and were located much farther back than intended.
• Forward Special's icicles will no longer be destroyed if Etalus is hit after Forward Special's IASA frame.
  
• Up Special can now fall through platforms after it becomes actionable.
  
• Up Special's hitbox now reaches farther into the foreground and background.
  
  • This makes it less likely to whiff against grounded opponents whose feet are offset from the gameplay plane.
• Down Special's rising hit can no longer jab reset.
  
  • This prevents the 2nd hit from whiffing when hitting knocked-down opponents.
• Ledge Attack has 2 extra shield stun frames on all hits.
  
  • This prevents opponents from parrying subsequent hits after shielding the first two hits.
• Bug fix: Armored Strong attacks and Getup Special will now lose armor if the attack is interrupted for any reason (getting hit, getting grabbed, ledge canceling, etc).
  
• Bug fix: Dash Attack can now fullhop when using tap jump.
  

Last week our Creator Program applications opened, and today we're pleased to announce the full program is LIVE in game! That means you can now use your favorite creator's code in the shop to support them whenever you make real money purchases.

To use: Enter your favorite creator's code in the shop on real money purchases to share 5% with them, AND get a 5% Aether Bucks kickback for yourself. It's a win-win! This is our way of giving back to our creators and their communities alike.



Along with Creator Code functionality, we're also introducing a special Creator Bundle today in the shop. When you use a creator's code on this item only, instead of the usual 5%, that creator will receive a 25% share. This bundle includes a couple throwback creator inspired skins, some new icons based on creators, plus 100,000 coins and 1,000 Aether Bucks.

Includes Spangled Wrastor, Excaliburn Zetterburn, plus icons based on some select creators for bundle 1 - including Wisely, hungrybox, aMSa, CDNthe3rd, Sparg0, and Ludwig icons!

Here's the creator codes for creators referenced in our first bundle, but make sure to see if your favorite creator has one if you'd like to support them too. If you're a creator or a fan of one who isn't in the program yet, check out details here for yourself or share with your favorite creator to get them involved: https://www.nexus.gg/rivals-of-aether-ii


[h3]Creator Bundle 1 Featured Creators: [/h3]


And here's a full list of our current creators.

Thanks again to our awesome community, creators, and players. We hope you enjoy these new features to support your favorite creators!


[h2]1.1.1 Balance Hotfix Patch Notes[/h2]



[h2]GENERAL[/h2]

• Hard-pressing left or right before performing an Up/Down Special will no longer turn that special around.
  
  • This input often led to unintentional reverse specials after performing certain actions, like releasing ledge by pressing backward.
• Grabs will now whiff against opponents that are more than 2 meters above or below you.
  
  • This prevents situations like grabbing Etalus' Up Strong after shielding it on a platform above him. This does not apply to command grabs.
• Bug Fix: Fixed a bug where grabbing 3 opponents on the same frame would leave one of them in an unintended state.
  

[h2]ZETTERBURN[/h2]

• Aerial Down Special cancel window fastfall frame: 27 > 14.
  
  • Locking Zetterburn out of fastfalling for the entire cancel window was more punishing than intended.

[h2]WRASTOR[/h2]

• Neutral Special can now fastfall during the startup and looping active frames.
  
  • Fastfall is still locked out during the final hit's startup, active, and recovery windows, and is reenabled once Wrastor goes into special fall.

[h2]FLEET[/h2]

• Uspecial's launch direction is now chosen 1 frame before the first launch active frame, instead of 1 frame after.
  
  • This means the launch direction won't change if you hit an opponent and then release your joystick.

[h2]ORCANE[/h2]

• Forearm hurtboxes shortened so they don't stick down so low in his idle state.
  

[h2]ETALUS[/h2]

• Roll speed: 25.5 > 28.
  
• Ledge roll speed: 24 > 26.
  
• Getup roll speed: 25.5 > 27.
  
  • These put a little more distance between him and his opponent, which is important since he's such a wide character.
• Forward Air can now hitfall when armoring an attack.
  
  • This unlocks new options for Etalus when using rising Forward Air against an incoming attack.
• Forward Strong hit 1 now has a front and a back hit. The front hit is much weaker so opponents don't end up too far away for the 2nd hit to connect.
  
  • It will still not connect 100% consistently, but this should make it much less frustrating.
• Forward Strong final hit knockback: 7 + 1.05 > 7 + 1.1.
  
  • Slight buff to its KO power, since linking into the final hit can be inconsistent.
• Down Strong sourspot knockback: 7 + 0.3 @ 90 > 6 + 0.6 @ 60.
  
  • This sourspot was extremely frustrating to land, especially when playing against wider characters, since it could hit them even if their center of mass was far from Etalus' center.
• Armored Strong Attack ice shards will no longer scale damage with charge.
  
  • If all eight shards of a fully-charged strong attack hit an opponent at once, it would deal 32%. This was only possible at a very specific spacing, but was overtuned regardless.
• Bug fix: Neutral Special's sweetspot now has priority over the sourspot, allowing it to hit on the 2nd active frame.
  
• Neutral Special sourspot knockback: 10 + 1.15 > 9 + 1.3.
  
  • The sourspot felt a little too weak for such a high-startup attack. This change makes it stronger starting at 56%.
• Up Special can be airdodge-cancelled after 2 frames of traveling if it was started from the ground.
  
  • This allows Etalus to place ice on the ground with Up Special and then waveland on a platform above him.
• Holding Up+Special at the end of light/medium hitstun will now buffer an Up Special the same way that it does at the end of heavy hitstun.
  
• Down Special's shockwave will no longer freeze teammates if Team Attack is turned off.
  
• The innermost hitbox of Getup Attack is now clamped to the gameplay plane.
  
  • This prevents it from whiffing against opponents right in the middle of the attack.

We're launching our Creator Program today to collaborate with and give back to our great community of creatives! Apply for access to creator-only channels, giveaway keys, and even your own Creator code - plus even more opportunities and perks for you and your community down the line. Ready to jump in? Here’s what you need:

• At least 1,000 followers on YouTube, Twitch, or TikTok. Meeting this requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
  
• Must be at least 18 years old.
  
• Creators must hold themselves to a high standard of conduct. Includes following community guidelines and creator program behavior requirements.
  
• Must actively create Rivals II content.
  
• Exceptional creators who have highlighted other Aether Studios’ games may be eligible even if their channels do not meet minimum recommended size requirements. Applications are hand-reviewed so don’t be afraid to apply if this fits your situation.
  

If you meet the requirements, please apply here.




Creators don’t just join—they thrive! Benefits include:

• Your own creator code your supporters can use in our shop.
  
• Access to exclusive creator-only channels.
  
• Opportunities to shine through the game’s official social media, newsletter, and Discord.
  
• In-game rewards like giveaway keys.
  
• VIP Reporting and Dev Access – a benefit that gives creators a clear path to report player behavior problems that uniquely impact them.
  

In addition to the above benefits, special partners can also receive:

• In-game rewards including a monthly Aether Bucks allotment.
  
• Early access and previews to patch notes, characters, and game modes.
  

Whether you're a seasoned competitor or an up-and-coming creator the Rivals of Aether II Creator Program has something for you. Apply to join the program here!

THE ETALUS UPDATE IS HERE! This giant free update doesn't just include our first new character, it's also got great new features like the new tutorial mode, rewards for Arcade mode, server reporting, the launch of our creator program, plus January's mid-month bundle, and more. Check out everything inside this patch below:


[h2]A Brand New Rival OUT NOW[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Etalus joins the cast as our 11th playable Rival. He's a legendary warrior in his native land, the northern continent known as the Ice Barrens. As Etalus, use your brute strength and mastery over ice to crush your opponents. If you like powerful characters that can shrug off attacks with ease, give this bear a try.

• Slip and slide over the ice his abilities create to bring surprising speed to his raw power.
  
• Armor yourself by using his neutral special on ice to take less knockback from attacks and launch ice shards at enemies.
  
• Use his down special to shatter ice, freezing enemies who are standing on it, then rack up the damage once they're frozen.
  

Etalus also comes with his own Arcade mode and character progression track.



Playable tutorials have been added as their own game mode! Progress through the ranks in movement, offense, and defense to learn the ropes. This is just the beginning for tutorial mode, and the Intermediate and Advanced tutorial levels are coming soon in future updates.





Get prehistoric with the Primal Etalus Bundle. The January mid-month bundle features Etalus with a new primal skin to celebrate his launch, previously teased in his announcement trailer. Bundle includes the Primal Etalus skin, icon, emote, plus coins and Aether Bucks. See it in action in the trailer released today:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]Help US Help YOU with this new feature[/h2]

If you're a player who has encountered server issues, we want to let you know we've been closely monitoring your feedback and making improvements each patch over the last few months. If you're still having issues - today we are adding another tool to help: Server Reporting.

Reporting a server let's us know that something didn't feel right for you there, and automatically sends us information we can use to troubleshoot. You can report a server easily in the character select screen, the start menu in game, or on the results screen. Only one report will be generated per session regardless of the method you use.

Please keep in mind this isn't an instant fix, and the main thing this does is help us get more consistent reporting and useful information for our team and partners to hopefully find permanent solutions for any server issues uncovered. Note there are many reasons an online connection may not feel good (see Dan's post), but in the case where you think it may be the server, this will go a long way to helping us find a fix!



Today we're also launching our creator program! We've got some great stuff planned to give back to our creators and their communities alike. Check out all of the details and apply here. The program has just opened and begun accepting applications today.





Arcade Mode now has rewards to compensate you for your hard fought efforts. Players will now earn 2000 XP for completing a difficulty for the first time. You can also unlock new Abyss palettes for each character by completing hard mode with an Abyssal medal. If you've previously achieved these feats, you'll automatically be given the rewards without having to re-clear in an update later this week.



During our Kickstarter last year, we had a superbacker tier that let the backer work with our team to design a skin for a character of their choice. We got 3 backers at this tier, and imagine our surprise when they all chose Fleet! The first backer-created skin is now in the game (with others coming soon) and we're starting with Night Owl Fleet by Reazy Fluff! You can pick her up in the shop today.






We've got a few actual bullet-point patch notes that aren't all characters and modes, but otherwise this patch is mostly content and less numbers changes. Please give us your feedback as always on our latest Nolt board and report bugs in our discord.

• New Rival: Etalus, The Glacier's Might added.
  
• New Mode: Playable Tutorials added. Beginner Tutorials are included for movement, offense, and defense with intermediate and advanced tutorials coming soon.
  
• Mid-Month Bundle: Primal Etalus bundle released.
  
• Server Reporting: Help us help you! Send us reports for bad connections with the press of a button.
  
• New Arcade Mode Rewards: Earn 2,000 XP towards a Rival's reward track for completing a difficulty for the first time. Unlock the new Abyss Palettes for completing hard with an Abyssal medal.
  
• Creator Program: Content creators can apply today and take your love for the game to the next level with perks for you and your community.
  

• CPUs can now DI throws without hitboxes.
  
• Getting parried while in hitstun will no longer queue up parry stun when hitstun ends.
  
  • This is extremely rare, but could lead to cases where a character could cancel the Tumble state with a jump/attack, but then get put into parry stun as soon as that action ended.
• Bug Fix: Fixed a bug that caused ledge grab boxes to appear 1 frame before you could actually grab ledge when the ledge grab lockout timer was expiring.
  
• Bug Fix: Fixed a bug that caused hurtboxes to be rotated incorrectly when a character was facing left, even if they rendered with the correct rotation.
  
• Bug Fix: Fixed a bug that allowed Zetterburn to turn around his Dash Attack after hitting an opponent when the Right Stick Setting was set to Attack.
  

We hope you enjoy the update!