» Category: Patch Notes

Patch 1.4.9 – Make Love Not War

This patch is a big one with tons of balance and “quality of life” changes. In addition, it also happens to fall on one of our favorite days of the year. Read on for all of the changes included in patch 1.4.9.

  • Walljump is now restored on death.
  • Characters in a state where they can’t tech can also no longer ledge cancel.
    This change is to help moves like Zetterburn Down Strong link into the final hit, since it could easily force the opponent to ledge cancel the first hit.
  • Airdodging upward within 4 frames of double jumping will restore your double jump (the same way that Up Special does).
    This allows tap jump users to airdodge upward without wasting their double jump.
  • Turnaround special window length increased from 8 > 16 (Turnaround special is performed by hard-pressing backward then pressing special within this window).
  • Ceiling teching added.
  • Missing a ceiling tech will now send you downward at half of your original upward speed (previous it set your vertical speed to zero).
  • During the hitpause of the purple kill effect, moving platforms can no longer move the hit player.
  • Added DI assistance:
    • For weak moves (under 10 KB) that send between 20 and 70 degrees, holding straight outward will perform perfect DI out.
    • For strong moves (over 10 KB) that send between 20 and 70 degrees, holding straight inward will perform perfect DI in.
    • For moves that send between 250 and 290 degrees, holding straight inward will perform perfect DI in.
    • If your DI direction is within 10 degrees of full inward or outward DI, it will become full-strength DI.
    • This change is meant to allow keyboard players and newer players to get the correct DI more easily.

  • Two new CPU DI options added in training mode: Left and Right (works well with the new DI assistance mechanic).
  • Players will now instantly respawn in training mode.
  • Press F2 while in the main menu or any character select screen to revert all keyboard controls to default.
  • Starring online replays from the results screen now functions properly.
  • Dev mode updated to version 0.6: Lots of dev mode bug fixes. Don’t ask us what they are specifically.

  • Hold dodge during Up Special’s startup to Orcahop even when you have a puddle out.
  • Ftilt endlag decreased from 9 > 8 (14 > 12 on whiff).
  • Utilt sweetspot damage increased from 5 > 6.
  • Dstrong back hit damage increased from 8 > 9 (to match front hit).
  • Puddle Forward Strong and Up Strong now reach as far inward as the non-puddle versions.

  • Tilts can no longer be jump cancelled after being parried.
  • Dash Attack will now go into parry stun correctly if it ends in the air.
  • Wrastor’s neutral air has been redesigned to be a 2 hit move. The first hit sends at a low angle with low hitstun. The second hit lingers for a while and has relatively strong knockback that decays drastically over time, allowing for varied usage depending on how you land it. Linking the first hit into the second hit is easier with the help of slipstream, especially at higher percents.
  • Fspecial can now be destroyed by attacks. The slipstream is also destroyed and the move goes on 50% of its normal cooldown (for reference, parrying Fspecial puts it on 75% of its normal cooldown).
  • Fspecial cooldown now applied 1 frame earlier (prevents Wrastor from getting the half-cooldown if interrupted on the frame that the projectile comes out).
  • Fspecial cooldown icon added to the bottom HUD.
  • Grounded Dspecial endlag on whiff: 21 > 28.
  • Uspecial last few frames of hurtbox fixed.
  • Pratfall aerial drift acceleration: .5 > .4.

  • Dash Attack can no longer be cancelled into jab/tilts after being parried (required hitting another player/object at the same time as getting parried).
  • Fstrong damage: 10 > 18.
  • Ustrong damage: 4, 10 > 6, 16.
  • Fair damage: 10 > 11.
  • Press dodge during the first 5 frames of Nspecial to use rockless Nspecial.
  • Grounded Rockless Nspecial hurtbox fixed.
  • Going into pratfall from pillar breaking under you will now cap your horizontal speed (prevents extreme speed boosts from interrupting moves like Ori’s Dstrong).
  • Fspecial will no longer lose its hitbox when getting hit the frame before transitioning from ground to air or vice versa.
  • All players will now go into a 30 frame landing lag state when falling from a broken pillar, just like Kragg.
  • Ranno, Elliana, and Shovel Knight Uspecial landing windows are no longer immune to pratfall after a pillar breaks under them.

  • Fstrong and Ustrong can no longer be cancelled into jab/tilts after being parried (required hitting another player/object at the same time as getting parried).
  • Fspecial cooldown icon added to the bottom HUD.
  • Buddies will no longer follow Forsburn when he has a clone out or is behind smoke.

  • Uspecial can no longer drop through platforms after being parried.
  • Lily will no longer detect respawning players.

  • Cloud kicks now start to lose power after 7 frames until the end of hitpause (total KB loss is -1.5 BKB over 5 frames).
  • Charged Nspecial is no longer destroyed by the plasma field (it already hit through it, so this is mostly just a visual change).

  • Jab 3 damage: 6 > 8.
  • Fair armor will no longer have whiff landing lag after armoring through an attack.
  • Armored strong attacks only gain super armor if half-charged or more. At less than half charge, they gain weak armor that gets stronger as it charges (starts at 10, ends at 25. Fair armor is 12 for reference).
  • Armored Fstrong startup changed (6 pre-charge + 12 post-charge > 8 pre-charge + 9 post-charge).
  • Armored Ustrong startup changed (6 pre-charge + 12 post-charge > 8 pre-charge + 10 post-charge).
  • Armored Dstrong startup changed (6 pre-charge + 8 post-charge > 8 pre-charge + 6 post-charge).
    These changes make the super armor come out later, since the armor doesn’t start until post-charge.
  • Armored Fstrong damage: 2 + 16 > 4 + 14.
  • Armored Dstrong final hit damage: 12 > 16.
    Previously, armored strong attack damage was inconsistent when compared to the unarmored versions. Now, the damage is always unchanged for the linking hit and 4% stronger on the final hit.
  • Armored Dstrong sourspot is no longer techable (matches non-armored version).
  • Dspecial walljump is now possible with tap jump.
  • Grounded Dspecial startup: 5 > 13.
  • Window between rising hit and falling hit: 24 > 16 (does not apply when Dspecial is used in the air).
  • Dspecial rising hit base knockback: 10 > 8.
  • Dspecial rising hit hitstun modifier now scales from x1 to x2 over the span of the active frames.
  • Dspecial rising hit can no longer be crouch canceled.
  • Dspecial falling hit height: 70 > 80 (reaches further upward).
    Hitting with the later frames of Dspecial rising hit was punishable on hit every time (because of low hitstun and too large of a window between the hits). These changes make it link into the final hit more reliably on bad DI, while also making it safe on hit.
  • Parrying Dspecial’s shockwave is now treated as parrying a projectile, meaning you can cancel the endlag of the parry.

  • Jab combo damage: 2, 2, 4 > 3, 3, 6.
  • Dtilt angle flipper removed.
  • Dtilt is now a 3-hit multihit.
  • Fair damage: 3, 4 > 4, 5.
  • Uair damage: 6, 4 > 7, 5.
  • Dair damage: 8, 9 > 10, 12.
  • Ori no longer gains extra double jumps when cancelling Dair with Uspecial.
  • Spirit Flame no longer causes parry stun when parried.
  • Charged Flame sweetspot removed.
  • Sein now overheats if he’s charging Charged Flame when Ori is hit.
  • Fspecial can now charge for the full charge duration instead of stopping 1 frame short (increases damage at max charge by 1 and slightly changes the max throw speed and angle).

  • Ftilt damage: 3, 3 > 4, 4.
  • Utilt damage: 7 > 9.
  • Dtilt damage: 5 > 7.
  • Fstrong damage: 4, 8 > 8, 12.
  • Ustrong damage: 6, 7, 8 > 8, 10, 13.
  • Dstrong damage: 8, 9, 10 > 10, 11, 14.
  • Fair damage: 7, 7, 7 > 7, 8, 9.
  • Bair damage: 5, 7 > 6, 8.
  • Grounded Dspecial endlag window: 24 > 15.
  • Dspecial meditation now kills all momentum immediately on startup.
  • Dspecial meditation gravity reduced.
  • Dspecial meditation now stalls momentum completely for a short duration the first time it’s used in the air.

  • Fstrong damage: 8, 10 > 9, 13.
  • Ustrong damage: 7, 8, 11 > 7, 8, 13.
  • Dstrong damage: 8, 10 > 9, 13.
  • On hit, Fspecial can now be cancelled into attacks even when aerial (previously could only be cancelled into jump or airdodge).
  • Whenever Fspecial is cancellable into attacks, it can now be cancelled into specials.
  • Successful Dspecials remove Maypul’s mark and Elliana’s mine.
  • Dspecial cooldown icon added to the bottom HUD.

  • Jab 2 hitbox extended 10px inward to match jab 1’s inward range.
  • Jab 3 and 4 endlag: 27 > 18 (Jab 5, 6, etc endlag is still 27).
  • Jab Special can now be used after jab 1 or jab 2.
  • Utilt multihits angle: 75 > 70 (Makes them connect more reliably into the final hit).
  • Fstrong hits 1 and 2 hitstun modifier: 1.0 > 1.2.
  • Ustrong damage: 8, 9, 10 > 10, 14, 18.
  • Uair hit 2 scaling: .65 > .7.
  • Dair damage: 6, 8 > 7, 10.
  • Grass on cooldown is no longer destroyed when a nearby flower is destroyed.
  • Flowers can now be placed right next to walls.
  • When the ground below a flower disappears, it now only snaps to ground within 32px instead of 100px.
  • Hitting a flower now deals half of the normal hitpause.
  • Fspecial can now eat his own flowers (not enemy flowers) and cancel the move as if it hit a player for the next 20 frames.
  • Grounded Uspecial now instantly digs if special is held. Tapping special still makes Sylvanos leap into the air.

  • Utilt’s claw now has a persistent hitbox around it, instead of creating a hitbox when near a player.
    This means it can hit multiple players (while only grabbing one), break projectiles, will no longer whiff against fast-moving opponents, and has 1 extra active frame on the end.
  • Utilt changed to a 2-part attack (like Etalus Uair).
  • Utilt will now release all heat when firing the opponent. The move’s KB scaling scales from .6 to 1.1 based on how much heat was released. When overheated, it will always count as full heat. Hold the dodge button to not lose any heat.
  • Utilt total damage: 7 > 12.
  • Nair damage: 5, 6 > 6, 8.
  • Bair damage: 5, 8 > 7, 11.
  • Nspecial will now only get buffed if the fist itself hits the mine, not if only the explosion does (this was to fix a bug where shooting the mine with the fist would cause the explosion to only be buffed on its 2nd active frame, meaning it would hardly ever be buffed at the time it hit the opponent).
  • Dspecial’s mine can no longer break Kragg’s pillar.
  • Dying will no longer destroy mines that are currently exploding.
  • Enemies will now be hit at the same frequency whether stuck in one or multiple steam clouds.
  • Steam clouds now ignore players during the first 8 frames of hitstun.
  • Steam clouds no longer produce a small explosion effect when hit (Shovel Knight can no longer bounce off steam clouds with Dair by clanking with the hitboxes either).
  • Parried steam cloud will now be outlined with the color of the player who parried them.

  • Jab endlag: 14 > 12 (21 > 18 on whiff).
  • Jab hurtbox fixed when transitioning from Nair on landing.
  • Dash Attack damage: 7 > 8.
  • Dash Attack scaling: .5 > .4.
  • Dash Attack angle: 50 > 60.
  • Dash Attack sourspot added after the current active frames.
  • Dash Attack endlag: 19 on hit, 29 on whiff > 15 on hit, 23 on whiff.
    Adding a sourspot naturally changed the endlag, but it was also shortened a bit beyond that.
  • Dash Attack hurtbox fixed during the last few frames of recovery (Shovel head had a hurtbox).
  • Ftilt angle: 36 > 361 (original angle was a typo).
  • Ftilt/Fair damage: 4 > 5.
  • Ftilt/Fair hitboxes extended 20px inward.
  • Utilt can now hit treasure piles.
  • Dtilt final hit damage: 6 > 8.
  • Dtilt final hit angle: 80 > 90 (still hits rocks at angle 80).
  • Dtilt hitstun modifier: 1.0 > 1.2.
  • Uair sourspot scaling: .45 > .55.
  • Dair’s non-spike hitbox is now stronger and has a lower angle for the first 2 frames of the move (to give Shovel Knight a much-needed DI mixup in the air).
  • Dair endlag: 14 > 10 (21 > 15 on whiff).
  • Dair now has a new hitbox that can only hit projectiles, protecting his body and making bouncing off projectiles much more consistent.
  • Dair now bounces off Orcane’s bubbles.
  • Ustrong sweetspot damage: 10 > 11.
  • Ustrong has a new hitbox with the same properties as the sweetspot, effectively making the sweetspot slightly larger.
  • Hitting an opponent with fully charged Ustrong will no longer send the rock in a strange direction.
  • Hitting Kragg’s rock with Ustrong should now behave the same as hitting Shovel Knight’s rock.
  • Dstrong final hits damage: 7, 4 > 10, 7.
  • Dstrong final hits scaling: 1.2, 1.1 > 1.3, 1.2.
  • Uspecial back hit sourspot KB: 8+.7 > 8+.8.
  • Uspecial back hit sweetspot KB: 9+1.0 > 9+1.1.
  • If the ground disappears from under him after landing with Uspecial, all endlag will be cancelled.
  • Dspecial activation time (once settled in the bottom blastzone): 40 > 20.
  • Treasure pile duration: 5 seconds > 10 seconds.
  • Can only have one treasure pile active at once.
  • Ghost Glove damage: 3 > 4.
  • War Horn sweetspot damage: 10 > 12.
  • Dynamo Mail now gets charged when bouncing off of anything with Dair, not just players.
  • Purchasing an item makes it free the next time you want to repurchase it (this is not reflected in the shop menu, since all Shovel Knight players share the same shop menu).
  • Moneybag final positions will now always rest above the main platform of the stage and within the camera’s natural bounds.

Patch 1.4.7 – The Buddy System

Today we’re excited to unveil our brand new Buddy System. Unlike the typical buddy system that’s supposed to prevent you from drowning in a lake or whatever, ours lets you bring small creatures from Aether into action-packed battles! These buddies will primarily be used to support Rivals players and events throughout the 2019 competitive season.

Read on for a little more information about them as well as some additional bugfixes we’ve fit in with patch 1.4.7.

The Buddy System

Buddies are now available in-game, with the first being the adorable Frostbear Cub. This new feature lets you choose creatures from Aether and beyond as companions during local and online matches. Buddies are cosmetic additions similar to skins in that they don’t affect gameplay, but instead each bring their own personality as they tag along.

They even have their own taunts.

Another thing to mention about most buddies (one of the best things in fact) is that funds raised go towards supporting Rivals players and events. More are planned for release throughout the year, so make sure to let us know in the comments which buddies you’d like to see.

Pick and choose your buddies on the character select screen. You can also optionally disable them online in the “stats and options” online menu.

Genesis Colors

A new Genesis 6 color palette has been added as the latest seasonal skins for all characters. Genesis 6, our Championship Series World Finals event, begins in just about 2 weeks.

Rep the event and make sure to tune in for the stream on ShowDown and VGBootCamp. Full viewing schedule to be announced soon.

Bug Fixes

  • The purple kill effect now functions correctly when below any stage floor.
  • Etalus’ Down Special will no longer create the purple kill effect when freezing an opponent.
  • Ori & Sein’s Down Special now ignores Eid (the guy in the window on Tower of Heaven).
  • Sylvanos’ Upward-angled Bair now maintains grass the same as the other angles.
  • Elliana’s steam can no longer create the purple kill effect.

Patch 1.4.5 – A Very Turbo Christmas

With only a few days left until Christmas, we decided to give everyone an early gift this patch. Along with some gameplay and balance changes we’re introducing a brand new way to play – Turbo Mode. Read on to find out more about our last update in 2018.

Turbo Mode

Turbo Mode is a fun new gameplay type you can choose to enable locally or online. Once you activate Turbo Mode, each Rival becomes super charged and gains the ability to cancel any hit into another action.

While this change may seem simple, it opens up a wild world of of creative and fast-paced gameplay:

We can’t wait to see what you come up with, so make sure you help us find your best clips by sharing them with the tag #RivalsOfAether.

  • TURBO MODE ADDED!
      • Turbo allows characters to cancel any attack into any other action on hit.
      • In Turbo Mode:
        • SDI distance increases by 1 pixel each time you get hit.
        • SDI distance bonus resets after 30 frames of not being hit.
        • After 10 consecutive hits, all SDI multipliers less than x1 will be ignored (such as Absa Fstrong multihits) and SDI will function as if you’re aerial, allowing you to SDI off the ground.
  • DI Lines now work in frame advance and replays for all controller types and CPUs.
  • CPU SDI option added in training mode.
  • Input Display now available in training and replay modes.
  • Dev Mode updated to version 0.4 because of new hitbox properties.

  • Up Special multihits SDI multiplier decreased from x1 > x0.5.
  • Up Special multihits hitstun modifier increased from 1.5 > 2.0.
  • Up Special no longer has 1 less frame of flinch state.

  • Bug Fix: Down Special spikes no longer move double speed on moving platforms.
  • Bug Fix: Kragg will no longer have his vertical momentum halted by Spirit Flame after using Forward Special.
  • Window for Aerial Down Special to transition into grounded Down Special on landing: 12 > 8 (Makes doing the grounded headbutt a little easier)

With Maypul, we wanted to address her campy options by allowing parrying projectiles to remove the Watcher’s Mark. We also took a hard look at the Up Special platform cancels and made it a more intended feature. We updated the Non Tether Up Special to have two hitboxes allowing us to keep the cool cancels while controlling the knockback so we can make it more of a read than a guaranteed tool.

  • Parrying ANY move now removes Watcher’s Mark.
  • Up Special can no longer be platform-cancelled during hitpause.
  • Wrapping an opponent with a strong attack starts a 3 frame lockout where they can’t be wrapped again. The lockout timer doesn’t start counting down until they break free from the wrap.
  • Update: Non Tether Up Special now has a 1 frame hitbox before the rising hitbox that has less scaling than the rising hit. Uspecial can only be cancelled between the 2 hits. Side effects:
    • Uspecial total damage: 8 > 10
    • Uspecial startup: 10 > 9
    • Uspecial hitpause increased
      Up Special cancel into Up Air was a guaranteed combo that required no reaction/prediction to the opponent’s DI. Now it still combos, but you must react/predict the opponent’s DI if they mix it up between fully left/right.
  • Bug Fix: Down Air’s root no longer moves double speed on moving platforms.
  • Bug Fix: Down Air hurtbox fixed.

  • Absa no longer receives a boost when using Neutral Special in Clairen’s Plasma Field.

  • Up Air SDI modifier decreased from 1.0 > 0.0.
  • Bug Fix: Down Air SFX corrected.

With Ranno, we wanted to make some Quality of Life changes while redistributing power from his kit. Ranno has some awesome attacks but in the air, Neutral Air and Back Air overshine the others. We are buffing Up Air and Down Air while removing some power from Neutral Air and Back Air to make his potential combo trees more varied. We are also making Forward Tilt and Up Tilt more reliable.

  • Forward Tilt 1 now has 6 frames of “Extra Hitpause” which is Hitpause that extends after the attacker’s hitpause is over. This should allow it to link more reliably.
  • Up Tilt has a new hitbox inside the swing to stop the attack from having a large deadzone. This hitbox has the same properties as the sour spot.
  • Up Air hitboxes are now larger.
  • Down Air hitboxes are now larger.
  • Down Air Hit 3 Hitstun Modifier reduced from 1.0 to 0.9 to reduce Down Air chains on the wide characters.
  • Back Air active frames decreased from 16 > 8.
  • Neutral Air initial base knockback decreased from 7 > 6.
  • Back Air endlag increased from 13 > 16 on hit (20 > 24 on whiff).

  • Bug Fix: Clairen can no longer counter inactive Elliana steam bubbles.
  • Dash attack non-tipper hitboxes can now reverse (angle flipper 0 > 6).

  • Update: Forward Special (Beast Dash) has been updated:
    • Forward Special is no longer jump cancellable on whiff.
    • You must hold the special button to continue travelling along grass.
    • Forward Special now has an IASA cancel on hit. Allowing Sylvanos to cancel into Jump, Attack, Special or Dodge upon hitting an opponent.
    • One goal of this change is to shift the power in Sylvanos’ Forward Special. We are removing some of its strength in Recovery (where Sylvanos is already strong) and distributing some power into low-mid percent combos.
    • We also wanted to distinguish Beast Dash from some of the other Dash Mechanics like Etalus Dash Attack, Shovel Knight Forward Special and Kragg Forward Special. By giving it an IASA cancel instead of a Jump Cancel, we can double down on Sylvanos having more grounded tools than some of the other characters.
  • Jab loop endlag decreased from 32 > 27.
  • Down Tilt sourspot damage decreased from 4 > 3 each.
  • Down Tilt sweetspot damage decreased from 6 > 5 each.
  • Bug Fix: Flowers no longer glitch when they are hit by projectiles while they have projectile immunity (first second of being planted).

  • Down Tilt 1 now has 6 frames of “Extra Hitpause” which is Hitpause that extends after the attacker’s hitpause is over. This should allow it to link more reliably.
  • Inactive steam bubbles are now partially transparent.

  • Bug Fix: Objects on platforms can no longer be transferred to the mobile gear (Flames, Puddle, Rock, Earth Spikes, Lily, Root, Ice, Grass, Flowers, Abandoned Mech, Steam Bomb, Treasure Rocks, Gems, etc).
  • Bug Fix: Down Special will no longer reel in treasure if the anchor moves to the ground (happens if you’re on a moving platform over the blastzone that moves to be over ground).