Rivals of Aether II News

[h2]Clown Ranno Epic Mid-Month Bundle[/h2][p]Bust out the pies, pins, and party tricks as you clown on your opponents with the latest Ranno skin. It's safe to say we pulled out the whole circus for this one. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]On top of the new Ranno skin, emote, and icon, this latest bundle also includes the Clown Critical Hit Effect plus the amazing unicycle Clown Taunt. You can even ride across the whole stage with the taunt - as long as you've got the balance. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Shop Items[/h2][p]Check out the new palettes, icons, and other cosmetics arriving this update to customize your look![/p]

• [p]Orange Low Poly Clairen Palette[/p]
• [p]Midnight Abyss Fleet Palette[/p]
• [p]Black Low Poly Olympia Palette[/p]

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• [p]Purple Clown Ranno Palette[/p]
• [p]Yellow Clown Ranno Palette[/p]

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• [p]King of Diamonds Icon[/p]
• [p]Queen of Hearts Icon[/p]
• [p]Jack of Clubs Icon[/p]
• [p]Avatar Leffox Icon[/p]
• [p]Avatar  Tinderbit Icon[/p]

[p][/p][p]Plus all related Clown Ranno Items are also available separately as always outside of the bundle:[/p]

• [p]Clown Ranno Skin[/p]
• [p]Clown Ranno Emote[/p]
• [p]Clown Ranno Icon[/p]
• [p]Clown Ranno Critical Hit[/p]
• [p]Clown Ranno Taunt[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Controller Input Overhaul[/h2][p][/p][p]We've improved how controllers work under the hood with a new input overhaul this patch! This allows us to support more controller types with native support just like we already do for Xbox and GameCube controllers. We changed the core of the controller support from RawInput to SDL in order to support more controllers and work toward supporting the Gamecube adapter on Linux machines in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]As part of this overhaul we've had to reset button mappings, but your tags, cosmetics, and advanced controller settings are still saved. You can rebind controls in the new controller settings menu or on the character select screen as usual. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's more details on the changes:[/p][p][/p][h3]New Controller Features[/h3]

• [p]A popup now appears on first play so you can see and choose a default control scheme.[/p]
• [p]Easily view your controller settings with the new full-screen controller menus. [/p]
• [p]Switch Pro and PlayStation now have menu button visuals just like Xbox and GCC.[/p]
• [p]Input displays are now available in training mode and automatically visible in replays. [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Mouse and Keyboard Features[/h3]

• [p]Mouse buttons are now supported and able to be bound.[/p]
• [p]Added new default options for Arrow Keys, WASD, and WASD with Mouse.[/p]
• [p]Keyboard players can now adjust angles just like box controllers do with Mod X and Mod Y.[/p]
• [p]Keyboard players can now double tap to dash (can also be bound on Dpad).[/p]
• [p]The 'alt' key can now be bound.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes and General Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed bugs relating to not being able to control certain menus when the game is out of focus. Now all controllers are meant to be usable even if the game is out of focus while keyboard is only usable while the game is in focus. We are still fixing new bugs that come up on this front.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bugs relating to live controller swapping where opening certain menus with one input would prevent another input type from using the menu. Most menus are meant to be swappable on the fly now and we are still fixing bugs on this front until it's seamless.[/p]

[p]As season one of the Rivals 2 Championship Series nears the final stretch, we wanted to share all of our Winter events in one place (aside from the circuit page), so players in contention for the top of the leaderboard can plan out their remaining trips. [/p][p][/p][p]Amazing events have been popping up left and right, with a few more than we originally anticipated joining the circuit this year. However, in the spirit of competition we are locking in our final tournaments and setting our eyes on the finish line. Read on for coverage of both NA and EU events:[/p][p][/p][h2]North American R2CS Winter Schedule[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Online Events[/h3][p]While we had to shuffle some of our online schedule due to admin availability, we still have the same number of onlines planned as we originally announced before the season ends. Make sure to check out Platfight Gaming Championships Online, followed by The Cashbox: GX3 Qualifier #1 both this December, especially if you're a player that can't attend in-person events![/p][p][/p][h3]Local R2CS Events[/h3][p][/p][p]We previously posted that there would be just one final LAN event leading up to GX3. This was the original plan, but we simply couldn’t resist including TWO of our favorite events from 2025 in our circuit to ring in the new year. [/p][p][/p][p]First, we have Let’s Make Big Moves 2026 in New York, New York. This event was outstanding in 2025, with glowing reviews from attendees and an electric Top 8, making us wish the R2CS was already in full swing. Luckily, we have a jump on it in 2026, so be sure to check it out this January in The Big Apple.[/p][p][/p][p]Next we have another huge event from 2025 that is absolutely legendary in the world of fighting games. Frosty Faustings hosted Rivals II for the first time in 2025, and the Rivals bracket had a breakout year with an amazing first reception. This year they're running it back, with an unmatched number of games open to attendees. Be sure to sign up there for the last regular season circuit event of the year, and maybe check out one or two of the MANY other fighting games on display.[/p][p][/p][p]Lastly, make sure to come out to GX3 for the series finale! Genesis X3 will host the first ever R2CS championship final, with the best players across the country and beyond duking it out to take home the crown. Genesis has long been home to the Rivals Championship Series Finals, and we’re excited to close out the first ever Rivals II circuit at a familiar place, with an unprecedented race for number 1 coming to a head.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]European R2CS Winter Schedule[/h2][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]Just two events remain in the EU schedule so we can work on coordinating travel for the EU pointsleader to GX3. The final Online event is 29 November, with the EU team at the helm to keep things running smoothly. This event is free to enter and has some crucial points available for the top competitors.[/p][p][/p][p]For offline events - Somnio Noctem was originally set to be our final EU event for the year, but we were excited to welcome one final tournament to the circuit earlier this fall. No time to Tilt brings the R2CS to Deutschland this December and will be the final EU event in the circuit.[/p][p][/p][h2]Points Race[/h2][p][/p][p]On the North American side of things, the Rivals of Aether GOAT, CakeAssault has been a consistent frontrunner, with a recent surge from Stango challenging the crown at the highest level. The NA R2CS has seen eight different tournament champions crowned over the year, and has only been more competitive as time has marched forward. CakeAssault holds a strong point lead, but does he have what it takes to finish the season on top?[/p][p][/p][p]The European R2CS has similarly been a close affair, with four unique champions crowned since July. Sitting at the top of the pecking order are Dia and Neylax, who between them have won four of the six brackets up to this point. [/p][p][/p][p]You can keep up to date on the real time standings at start.gg/R2CS/standings as well as individual event signups at start.gg/R2CS/schedule[/p][p][/p][p]We hope you've enjoyed playing in and watching all of the events this year so far![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

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• [p]Fixed some rare cases that could cause no audio to play after the previous patch.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the countdown to next event not always properly loaded when you opened the Events store.[/p]
• [p]Fixed values scrolling too fast in the Settings modal on Character Select Screen for any controller that wasn’t Player 1.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Feature - Audio Output Device Setting[/h3][p]Added an option to select your audio output device in the settings menu. We expect this new feature to be very useful for offline tournament organizers and livestreamers who have been struggling with some game controllers stealing the audio feed all the time.[/p]

• [p]The default value (“default device”) will output sound to the device selected in Windows audio settings.[/p]
• [p]The other values are your individual audio peripherals.[/p]
• [p]When using the default value, audio hotplugging is still active: if the device selected in Windows audio setting changes, then the game will output sound to that new audio device. In short, the same behaviour as before this update.[/p]
• [p]When using other values, audio hotplugging is disabled and sound will stick to the device you had selected in the game settings, even if Windows audio settings change.[/p]
• [p]The setting is saved in the savedata.[/p]
• [p]Please note that audio hotplugging is always disabled in the special tournament builds, including for default value.[/p]

[h3]Other General Features[/h3]

• [p]Temporarily disabled the Low Poly sound effect filters[/p]
• [p]Visual fixes for the new Retro skins[/p]

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• [p]Bug fix: Successfully parrying will no longer unstick her cloud from herself[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Audio Updates[/p]

• [p]Fixed a bug that caused the Low Poly sounds to become more distorted as the master volume increased.[/p]
• [p]Added a volume slider for ambient sounds.[/p]

[p]Miscellaneous Fixes[/p]

• [p]The emotes tab will now open to the Favorites page instead of page 1.[/p]
• [p]Orange Low Poly Ranno is no longer missing in the store.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that caused certain articles to reverse hit when they shouldn't.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an additional bug that caused hurtboxes to shift unintentionally when a character rotated around their center when facing left.[/p]

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• [p]Fixed a bug that caused his articles (like his Bubble) to be invisible on most skins.[/p]

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• [p]Genesis Orcane skin is no longer muddy.[/p]

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• [p]Fixed a bug that caused some of his ice effects to be opaque.[/p]