Rivals of Aether Balance Patch 2.1.2.0

After over a full month since the release of our four free newcomers, we are back once again with another round of balance changes!

Last patch aimed to clean up some obvious troublemakers and mechanics. This time we intend to really dig deep and focus on fine-tuning our new friends. This is not by any means our final balance patch, but this will be our last balance touch-up before Genesis 8 and Low Tide City in April. Players looking for changes for our earlier 14 characters can get excited for our next balance patch coming later this year, where we plan to continue work on our newcomers while giving some elbow grease to some of our other favorite Rivals!

Alright, time to dive in. Don’t forget to breathe.

Mollo is approaching an elevated existence. His role as an aggressive and unpredictable character who can rush down or zone while using everything at his disposal is being carved into the meta every day. Our main goal with our latest Mollo update was to add some more risk to his bombs while also taking aim at some trickier normals that eluded the spotlight during his onslaught of Finisher Bombs on release. We also adjusted his Waveland speed and distance to fit into his kit a bit more naturally.

• GENERAL BOMBS
  • Added an aerial version of Down Throw with bombs.
    • Having Mollo do the same light toss in the air as on the ground didn’t feel right. We gave him a new down throw that allows for pressure from above without having to commit to an up special.
  • Adjusted bomb sprites to more clearly show when they have a bonk hitbox.
    • We recognized there were a few scenarios where players would expect to be able to parry bombs when they did not have an active hitbox, this visual update should make these scenarios much more clear.
  • Added HUD indicator to show whichever bomb Mollo is holding.
    • We wanted players to have an easier time recognizing what bomb the Mollo pulled in certain scenarios like recovery. This change should make it clear to every player which bomb the Mollo has chosen with a simple peek at the HUD.
  • Bug Fix: Fixed a bug causing delayed explosions of Firecracker when held by Mollo.
  • Bug Fix: Hitting a bomb downward while on the ground now properly bounces them upward.
• FLASHBANG
  • Stun timer reduced 45 > 30
  • Hitstun multiplier reduced, 1.0 > 0.8
    • We recognized that the stun was a little too easy for Mollo to get a huge reward off of. This coupled with the recent buff to this bomb’s damage, we opted to make the window for stun follow-ups a little tighter.
      
  • Adjusted sprite to more clearly define it from a firecracker.
• DEFAULT BOMB
  • KB angle, 70 > 80
    • Default bombs were a bit too difficult to DI based on there position relative to the player. A higher knockback angle makes bad DI less likely to KO off the top, but also makes follow-up combos from Mollo easier in the process. We want the Default Bombs to help Mollo secure kills more than outright taking stocks on their own.
      
• FINISHER BOMB
  • Adjusted explosion hit FX layers of Finisher Bomb to primarily appear behind players.
    • This adds to a change last patch that allows players to see where they are in relation to the explosion, helping with DI on reaction.
• JAB
  • Bug Fix: Removed whifflag.
  • Jab 1 recovery, 8 > 12
  • Jab 1 active frames, 3 > 2
  • Jab 2 recovery, 12 > 16
    • Jabs generally do not have whifflag, so with the removal of that mechanic we needed to normalize some of the values of Jab 1 and 2.
• FORWARD TILT
  • Damage increased, 5 > 9
  • Endlag reduced, 18 > 14
  • Bug Fix: Added whifflag.
    • Forward Tilt felt a little weak for its intended use. The extra damage should help with that, while the reduced endlag combined with the addition of whifflag will help it feel the same on a miss and better on hit.
• UP TILT
  • Damage increased, 6 > 8
    • Much like Forward Tilt, Up Tilt damage seemed just a bit low for its use as a get-off-me tool, so we gave it some love.
• DOWN TILT
  • Removed Jump cancel.
  • BKB 6 > 7
    • Down tilt is a pretty powerful tool even without the jump cancel on hit. We wanted to keep the move feeling good while also giving it an increase in base knockback to make chaining into itself less common.
      
• DASH ATTACK
  • Bombless endlag increased, 15 > 18.
    • The bombless Dash Attack is meant to push opponents off of Mollo rather than a strong combo tool. The extra endlag will still allow for some pressure with more strict follow-ups.
• NEUTRAL AIR
  • Hit 1 damage decreased, 5 > 2
  • Hit 1 hitstun multiplier reduced, 1.0 > 0.5
    • The first hit of Neutral Air seemed to serve its purpose connecting into the rest of the move, but it allowed for some pretty crazy hitfall loops. The lower damage and lower hitstun modifier makes those loops more difficult to pull off while also making the connecting hits of the move more rewarding.
      
• FORWARD AIR
  • Bug Fix: Whifflag now applies properly.
• DOWN AIR
  • Hitpause on sour hitboxes reduced, 7 + 0.6 > 6 + 0.5
  • Hitpause on sweet hitboxes increased, 7 + 0.6 > 10 + 0.8
  • Sweetspot vs. grounded KB reduced, 7 + 0.7 > 5 + 0.7
    • The sweetspot knockback reduction vs grounded opponents should make grounded spikes easier to follow up on at combo percents.
  • Endlag increased, 8 > 12
  • Bug Fix: Whifflag now applies properly.
    • • • Down air is a pretty cool move that just needed some fine tuning. Startup remains the same but an endlag increase makes it a little more committal to use. The hitpause increase should make it more satisfying to land while giving opponents a better reactionary window to DI.

  FORWARD STRONG

  • Final hit size changed, 62 x 57 > 80 x 72
  • Hits 1 and 2 are no longer techable on the ground (can still be wall teched).
    • These changes should match Forward Strong’s art better and help with linking early hits into the final.

  NEUTRAL SPECIAL

  • Removed the extinguish move; nspecial now does nothing when holding a bomb.
    • Mollo’s ability to extinguish the bomb ran counter to our goal of making the bomb pull a commitment.

  DOWN STRONG

  • Wide hitbox height increased, 58 > 60.
  • Wide hitbox Y increased, -30 > -28.
    • We thought it would be cool if Mollo could break cancel off of rocks with his down strong.

  UP SPECIAL

  • Bug Fix: Adjusted final hurtboxes to align better with sprites.
• DOWN SPECIAL
  • Tipper angle increased, 35 > 40
  • Tipper KB decreased, 11 + 1.1 > 9 + 1.05
  • Main KB decreased, 8.5 + 1.1 > 8 + 0.95
  • Drifting forward now launches Default Bomb and Flashbang instead of detonating instantly, to mimic Firecracker and Finisher behavior.
    • The community found a fun use for the finisher and firecracker bombs, allowing the bat to launch them forward when airborne and drifting forward. This change allows all bombs to work this way.
  • Bat now launches rocks instead of breaking them.
    • Batter up!
• GENERAL
  • Waveland speed multiplier reduced, 1.5 > 1.25
  • Waveland time reduced, 9 > 8
    • Mollo’s Wavedash was one of the best in the game, which gave him a bit more of an advantage for his playstyle than we wanted. His overall distance on Wavedash has been reduced to better mesh with his unique mix of normals and projectiles.

Hodan’s charge mechanic changes from last patch seemed to have the effect we wanted. Players have begun exploring more of his kit, really opening up his playstyle in a way that fits his fun-loving personality. Most of our changes with this patch focus on game feel for players on both ends of the field, and the functionality of his specials – NO MORE BOSS HOGGIN, WE’VE SEEN ENOUGH!

• JAB
  • Bug Fix: Rapid jab can now be done by holding Attack.
  • Bug Fix: Fixed not being parry stunned when doing a tilt cancel.
• DASH ATTACK
  • Uncharged early hitpause increased, 7 > 8
  • Uncharged late hitpause increased, 5 > 6
  • Uncharged hitpause scaling increased, 0.25 > 0.6
  • Charged early hitpause increased, 7 > 11
    
  • Charged early hitpause scaling increased, 0.25 > 0.8
  • Charged late hitpause scaling increased, 0.45 > 0.8
    • These changes all aimed to make Dash Attack feel better to land and get hit by, while making reactionary DI a little easier for opponents.
  • Bug Fix: Charged Dash Attack can no longer fastfall offstage.
    • While the mechanic is kind of cool, we found it brought more frustration from accidental self destructs than it was worth. This bug fix also makes the behavior consistent with the uncharged variant, allowing for a tech called fastfall storage on platforms in case players still wanted to utilize the tech in specific situations. Fastfall storage is a pretty complicated tech, luckily our friend SNC has a document dedicated to it and related techs here.
      
• FORWARD AIR
  • Adjusted charged hitbox 2 (and related spritework) to hit less inside and below Hodan, with some size shaved off the front and top as well.
    • Last patch we said that this move is meant to be big and strong. The intention of this change is to make lower recoveries a little more safe and to allow opponents to sneak behind the hitbox if the Hodan overshoots.
• UP STRONG
  • Grabbing opponents gives their double jumps back.
    • Large disjointed moves that grab opponents out of the air can be pretty nasty, so we tend to give double jumps back to numb the pain. Ranno tongue being a similar example.
      
• DOWN STRONG
  • Bug Fix: Removed whifflag from the parry window.
  • Bug Fix: Added a 1-frame gap between the parry window and attack.
    • There were some instances where the parry and hit would overlap, resulting in some weird knockback properties.
• UP SPECIAL
  • Charged and uncharged Up Special now have 6 frames of hit lockout on their sweet spot.
    • This helps avoid situation where a sweat whirl can interrupt kills.
  • Throwing a spirit with Up Special now puts Fspecial on 20 frames of cooldown.
    • Rather than put Hodan into pratfall, we decided this would be a good way to limit Up Special stalling.
      
• DOWN SPECIAL
  • Down Special now has a “slam” hitbox that can hit aerial opponents.
    • Previously, Hodan’s final hitbox would only hit grounded opponents, making the second half of the move relatively non-threatening if a player were to jump. This hitbox is intended to catch airborne opponents that would have otherwise barely dodged his bury.
  • Down Special mud wave hitbox width increased to better match the visual, 32 > 52
  • Bug Fix: Fixed mud wave hitboxes having inconsistent positions.
• GENERAL
  • Sweatspirits are now destroyed when Hodan dies.
    • This makes Sweatspirits consistent with other stage control in the game that is removed when the character is KOed.
  • Bug Fix: Fixed sweat spirits displaying in front of players in some cases.
  • Bug Fix: Hodan no longer gains parry invincibility from parrying his own Forward Special sweatwhirls.

Pomme once again didn’t require too many updates in this balance patch. We did target some of her spammable options such as Dash Attack and Forward Air in addition to shaving some active frames off of a few strong attacks. Don’t fret though, we did give her Neutral Air some love along the way.

• DASH ATTACK
  • Startup increased, 6 > 8
  • Endlag increased, 12 > 15
    • Her Dash Attack is one of her best burst options, but its previous state was overshadowing her other mechanics. Making the move more of a commitment should open up her kit exploration in a fun way.
      
  • Adjusted sound effects to be a bit more musical.
• NEUTRAL AIR
  • Increased early hitbox size.
    • Her Neutral Air was a solid move. This change should make well timed instances of it more rewarding, while keeping the moves main functionality the same.
• FORWARD AIR
  • Endlag increased, 15 > 19
  • Changed landing lag behavior after the hitbox becomes active. Landing lag will scale from 18 to normal landing time based on how late you land.
    • Pomme’s fair strength is in a healthy spot, but her float mechanic brings a bit of a unique challenge to reducing over-reliance on the move. Floating near the ground could allow for repeated Forward Aerials that would circumvent the move’s endlag in lieu of more favorable landing lag. This scaling change is similar to how Wrastor’s air strongs work.
• STRONG ATTACKS
  
  • Up Strong hitbox lifetime decreased, 8 > 6
  • Down Strong hitbox lifetime decreased, 8 > 6
  • Adjusted whifflag to apply to more of the endlag, which should result in whifflag being ~2 frames longer.
    • Both Up and Down Strong had a bit longer of a lifetime than we would have liked. Her powerful sound waves are still pretty active, but now have a harder time hitting players when their techs end.
• FORWARD SPECIAL
  • Vince now displays in front of players.
    • We wanted his role as a bodyguard to be a bit more pronounced, he will now show up in front of Pomme and other players. Maybe some creative Pomme mains can now use Vince to shield what they are doing?
• GENERAL
  • Bug Fix: Jump and Double Jump sprites have been realigned to better match the hurtbox.

Olympia is still a Dan favorite. Someone spilled the beans and told him about the nerfs last patch and he was furious… I figured he couldn’t get any MORE angry so I’m doubling down with a bigger rock hammer (geologist joke! Haha!) this time. We took a good look at her normals and a few of her specials this time.

• GENERAL
  • Hurtboxes now include the gauntlets on all attacks.
    • Originally we wanted her reinforced armored hand to avoid having hurtboxes on them, but based on her archetype, she does not need the added disjoint.
• JAB
  • Bug Fix: Hit 1 no longer has whifflag.
• FORWARD TILT
  • Hitbox active time reduced, 9 > 6 (FAF remains the same)
  • Hitbox size reduced.
    • The previous version was catching players off-guard by hitting a bit too far behind her, and lingering on frames where the move appeared to end. This change is more faithful to her animation.
      
• UP TILT
  • Reduced the size of her second hitbox to cover less space directly in front of her.
    • This hitbox is intended as a get-off-me tool and anti-air, so it seemed appropriate to reduce the area it strikes in front of her.
• DASH ATTACK
  • Removed jump cancel.
    • Be honest. Did you even know Olympia had a jump cancel on her dash attack? The jump cancel was only on the last 12 frames of the attack so didn’t affect a ton of situations as is. Rather than adding endlag to the overall move, this change only shaves frames off of the on-hit situations.
      
• NEUTRAL AIR
  • Hit 1 hitstun multiplier reduced, 1.0 > 0.5
    • Because it has no hitstun scaling, Olympia’s Neutral Air 1 has been seeing a lot of use across all percents, acting as a looping tool at low percents, and a kill confirm at higher percents. This change should tighten up confirm windows and give some healthy counter-play to these situations.
      
• FORWARD AIR
  • Main hitbox size decreased, 76 x 76 > 66 x 66
    • Olympia’s Forward Air has been filling it’s role as a combo tool and finisher very well. The hitbox reduction combined with additional vulnerability on her gauntlets should make contesting the move easier for opponents.
• UP AIR
  • First hitbox hitstun multiplier changed, 1 > 0.85
  • Second hitbox hitstun multiplier changed, 1 > 0.85
  • Third (spike) hitbox angle flipper removed, 6 > 0
    • Last patch we attempted to make up air chains a little less painful by increasing her base knockback and landing lag. This attack is still a crutch for Olympia players so we decided to reduce hitstun opponents receive in order to allow for easier escape attempts from Olympia’s victims.
      
• BACK AIR
  • Reduced main hitbox active time, 9 > 6
  • Reduced underside hitbox active time, 11 > 6
  • Adjusted window timings so active time is 14 > 6 and endlag is 2 > 10,
    • This means whifflag will apply more to the move.
  • Reduced main hitbox width, 70 > 60
  • Reduced underside hitbox size and position.
    • We felt that her disjoint on this move was a little strong, particularly below her. We want this move to be more of a horizontal menace, with less safety when landing directly on top of opponents.
• FORWARD STRONG
  • Forward Strong is now split between an early strong hit lasting 3 frames, and a late hit beginning on frame 4. The early hit is unchanged from the previous version and the late hit has 12 base hitpause and 0.8 KB scaling. Each hitbox is new compared to the previous Forward Strong.
    • Olympia’s Forward Strong is a unique move that shatters her gauntlets. We wanted to keep the length of the move identical while making later frames a little less powerful.
• NEUTRAL SPECIAL
  • Projectile Hitstun multiplier reduced, 1.0 > 0.5
    • The projectile throw itself is not intended to be her main strength on Neutral Special. This puts the projectile portion more in line with other projectiles of similar knockback.
  • Creating the gem (either automatically or manually) now puts Break Nspecial on 10 frames of cooldown.
    • This is meant to prevent accidentally buffering gem pops when trying to stop the projectile late.
  • Bug Fix: Bashed gem is now destroyed when it hits the ground.
• FORWARD SPECIAL
  • Bug Fix: Fixed parry stun not applying if you hit someone or something after getting parried.
• UP SPECIAL
  • Rapid hitbox size reduced, 72 x 72 > 60 x 60
  • Finisher body hitbox width decreased, 95 > 75
    • This change allows opponents to contest early hits of the move more safely, while also decreasing the size of her finishing hitbox that would terrorize airborne opponents.
  • Pratfall landing time increased, 11 > 18
    • The increased pratfall time should make going for ladders ending with up special a little more commital while still allowing for smart use of edge cancels on the way down to protect herself.
• DOWN SPECIAL
  • Dodge cancel in the air now puts the move on cooldown until you land, walljump, or get hit.
    • Olympia’s Down Special was a bit too safe to use. Her dash cancel gives a big boost of speed and a smallwindow of invulnerability. Limiting the cancel to once per airtime will make the option a calculated choice rather than a repeated optimal strategy.
  • Increased early attack startup, 2 > 10
    • Releasing the move early was able to sneak through certain multi-hits, this should make the move lose to multi-hit attacks while keeping it as a good counter to single-hit attacks.
  • Bug Fix: Fixed armor being reapplied when releasing it.
  • Bug Fix: Fixed armor being reapplied in certain other situations.
    

• Matches no longer desync when switching between rollback and non-rollback modes online.
• Fixed Orcane’s explosive bubble rune crashing.
• Fixed keyboard controls causing unintentional up/down hard presses while online.
•  WORKSHOP
  • Added attack property AG_NO_PARRY_STUN.
  • Added newcomer names to get_char_info.