RoA2/How to Play

Preface

The purpose of this page is two-fold:

1. Provide a rundown of fundamental game mechanics towards readers who may be complete newcomers to Rivals of Aether II and/or platform fighters as a whole
2. Provide information on core aspects that are largely taken as a given in the rest of the wiki: namely, the game's objectives and win conditions

As such, certain mechanics may be omitted entirely for the sake of digestibility. Readers may consult the System Mechanics page to gain a deeper understanding of the game.

As Dragdown is a resource for competitive players, this guide is only concerned with the in-game settings for Ranked Mode or local Tournament Mode.

If you need a better grasp of which buttons on your controllers do what, the notation featured throughout the wiki, like this one:

AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB:

...will show default controls for the move by hovering your cursor over the colorful icon or underlined text. (Mobile users may tap on the notation instead.)

Basic Controls

Moving Around

One fundamental difference between most traditional fighters and most platform fighters is analog movement: the difference between walking and running (among other fundamental movement options) is determined by how far and how quickly the left analog stick is moved.

It is for this reason that platform fighter players will refer to tilt versus tap directional inputs:

• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / / Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / Gently tilting the left analog stick left or right will result in a walk; the further the stick is tilted, the faster the walk.
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Quickly tap Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / /
  / Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Quickly tap Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / /
  Quickly flicking—or tapping—the stick all the way left or right results in a dash, which can be held for a full-on run.
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Quickly tap Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / /
  Tapping down while standing on small platforms results dropping through that platform.
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / Tilting down results in a crouch. Tapping down while standing on the main stage will also result in a crouch, but a tilt down is required for crouching on platforms, if a platform drop is unwanted.

The difference between a "tilt" input and a "tap" input is crucial for effective movement in Rivals of Aether II.

The genre naturally presumes the player is using a typical gamepad with analog sticks, or else some way to emulate one. For players using a purely digital interface, such as a keyboard, leverless controller, or even an arcade stick, Rivals of Aether II features a Walk Mod.Default Controls
KB: input, to be held whenever you wish to perform directional "tilts" versus directional "taps".

For instance, on default keyboard controls, pressing or will automatically perform dashes to the left or right. Then, by holding Walk Mod.Default Controls
KB: , / results in walking instead.

Lastly, traversal into the air requires using a JumpDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: button by default. This goes against the classic method of jumping, originating from the Super Smash Bros. series, which allowed for inputting jumps by Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Quickly tap Left Analog Stick
KB: / / /
tapping up. For platform fighter veterans, or for those who feel Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Quickly tap Left Analog Stick
KB: / / /
tapping up to jump is more intuitive, it is still possible to revert to this classic input method by going to the custom controls settings and switching "TAP JUMP" to "ON".

Performing Different Moves

Actions in platform fighters are typically performed with a button ( AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: / StrongDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: / SpecialDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: / ShieldDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: / GrabDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: ), optionally combined with one of four cardinal directional inputs ( Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
KB: / / / / Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
KB: / / / / Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
KB: / / / / Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
KB: / / / ).

Combining a button + direction is a very strong through-line in a platform fighter's move scheme.

The same inputs may also result in different moves depending on if the character is grounded or airborne, whether they are knocked down, or whether they are holding ledge.

Attacks

Pressing AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: on its own results in quick, weak Jabs. Pressing the AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: button while inputting a direction results in different, stronger Tilt Attacks. There exist yet more different moves when performed in the air.

StrongDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: attacks are strong finishers that can be held and charged to become stronger. These are reserved for use on the ground, with the exception of Wrastor who can only use Strongs mid-air.

SpecialDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: moves have unusual properties unique to each different character. They can be anything from projectiles, to lunging attacks, to teleports, and so on.

Shielding and Dodging

Pressing ShieldDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: surrounds the player character in a defensive orb to block with. Combining ShieldDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: with a direction results in invulnerable dodges in those directions.

ParryDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN: / +
KB: is a grounded counter option that reflects projectiles and stuns attacking foes.

Grabs and Throws

The GrabDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: input causes the player character to reach out and grasp an opponent in-place. This is a special kind of move that is unblockable: it will ignore shields outright. Grabs will also catch airborne foes. Upon a successful grab, you may follow up with a pummel (with either AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: or SpecialDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: ), and/or finish with a throw by inputting a direction.

Universal Movelist

The following is a non-exhaustive movelist that applies to every character, as listed in any given character's Dragdown page, as well as universally-applicable defensive options.

This is not a list you will need to memorize; you will naturally learn each of these moves as you play by applying the "Direction + Button" principle. With that said, if you wish to get a thorough look at a new character's moveset, these are the attacks to look through.

• Standard grounded moves
  • Jab - AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: (without directional input)
  • Forward Tilt - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / / Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Up Tilt - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Down Tilt - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Dash Attack - AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while dashing/running
• Strongs - Exclusively grounded (unless you're playing Wrastor)
  • Forward Strong - Neutral or Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / / Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + StrongDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Up Strong - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + StrongDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Down Strong - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + StrongDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
• Aerials (arrows presume character is facing right)
  • Neutral Air - AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: (without directional input) while airborne
  • Forward Air - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while airborne
  • Back Air - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while airborne
  • Up Air - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while airborne
  • Down Air - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while airborne
• Specials
  • Neutral Special - SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: (without directional input)
  • Forward Special - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / / Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Up Special - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Down Special - Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
• GrabDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Can also be performed with ShieldDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: + AttackDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB:
  • Pummels
    • Pummel Attack - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > AttackDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB:
    • Pummel Special - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > SpecialDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB:
  • Throws
    • Forward Throw - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
    • Back Throw - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
    • Up Throw - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
    • Down Throw - GrabDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: > Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
• When holding ledge
  • Ledge Attack - AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while holding the ledge
  • Ledge Special - SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: while holding the ledge
• When knocked down
  • Getup Attack - AttackDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: after getting knocked down
  • Getup Special - SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: after getting knocked down
• Defense
  • ShieldDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • ParryDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN: / +
    KB: - Can be performed with ShieldDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: + SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB:
  • Dodges
    • Spotdodge - ShieldDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: + Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
    • Rolls - ShieldDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: + Default Controls
      Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
      KB: / / /
    • Airdodge - While airborne ShieldDefault Controls
      Xbox:
      GCN:
      KB: (+ any direction, optionally)

Survival

Damage, Hitstun, & Knockback

Unlike a traditional fighting game, games are not strictly won by dealing enough damage until reaching a threshold. A character may theoretically take an unlimited amount of damage and still not lose.

Every game starts with the player characters at 0% damage; this number, the damage percent, increases every time the character is hit with an attack. Damage can theoretically reach a maximum of 999%; practically speaking however, damage is exceedingly unlikely to reach this high before KO-ing the character outright.

The higher damage a character takes, the higher hitstun and knockback that character will undergo. At 0%, a move will strike a foe and it may barely affect anything: they might act fairly quickly afterwards, and they do not get sent very far. At 100%, that same attack could send that foe flying helplessly across the stage, unable to act for a much longer time.

Stocks & KOs

Every game starts with the player characters given a certain number of stocks, i.e. "lives", akin to classic arcade games. These may be analogous to a typical round in a traditional fighter.

When a character goes too far off-screen, they are KO'd and lose a stock, analogous to a ring-out. These off-screen thresholds, known as blastzones, exist at the bottom below stage, to the sides, and up top, like an invisible box enveloping the visible environment.

If they still have stocks remaining, the KO'd character will respawn in the top-middle of the stage on a special temporary platform. Their accumulated damage is reset to 0%, and they are granted invincibility for up to a few seconds.

The relationship between damage and KOs is now evident: The higher the damage, the higher the knockback, the higher the likelihood of sending far enough for a KO.

Note, however, that damage is still only loosely relevant for securing a stock. The only hard requirement for losing stocks is by being too far off-screen, which may happen at any percent. Uniquely for platform fighters, a player does not even need an opponent to lose stocks. They may, for instance, simply be off-stage and fall to their death, even at 0%, whether by accident or by their own volition. This is known as a self-destruct, or SD.

Recovery & the Ledge

Inevitably, a player will find themself knocked far off-stage, but not quite so far as to immediately be KO'd. However, in order to ensure survival, they must make it back onto the main stage. The player has a number of universal resources to accomplish this recovery back.

Universally, per air-time, every character has:

• At least one mid-air JumpDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: , or double-jump
  • ( Wrastor exceptionally has three.)
  • It is useful not only for gaining extra-height, but also for shifting your momentum back towards the stage after significant knockback.
• One airdodge ( ShieldDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: while airborne)
  • Besides being able to dodge oncoming attacks off-stage, a directional airdodge ( ShieldDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: + any direction) slightly shifts your position in that direction. This is a significantly amount of extra distance, vertically and/or horizontally, that can be used to get closer to the stage.
• One wall jump ( JumpDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: while drifting into and touching a wall)
  • A successful wall jump will provide a significant amount of height, making it very likely to recovery even from very low.
• Certain Specials
  • Up Special ( Default Controls
    Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
    KB: / / / + SpecialDefault Controls
    Xbox:
    GCN:
    KB: ) is especially almost always a "last resort" recovery move
  • The exact way an Up Special functions is heavily character-dependent, but a common trend is that the Up Special boosts the character upwards one last time, before going into a helpless freefall state in which they are completely unable to perform any more actions. After this, being unable to reach the stage means certain death.

Each of these resources will not be refreshed (with the exception of Up Specials, which can be used again if hit out of helpless state) until the character lands back onto stage OR they grab the ledge.

Ledges, present at the two end-corners of the main stage, are a critical component to recovering. An airborne character will automatically grab the ledge if close enough to it.

Whilst holding ledge, the player has several options by inputting either a direction, ShieldDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: , AttackDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: , or SpecialDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: . All of them provide some amount of invincibility frames. (Arrows presume character is facing right, holding onto left-side ledge)

• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / - Simply get back up on stage
• ShieldDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Roll a longer distance back onto stage
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / / JumpDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Jump from ledge
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / / GrabDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Drop from ledge
• Default Controls
  Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
  KB: / / / - Fastfall from ledge
• AttackDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Perform a Ledge Attack
• SpecialDefault Controls
  Xbox:
  GCN:
  KB: - Perform a Ledge Special

Upon grabbing ledge, the character is granted invincibility frames, providing a bit of safety for the last leg of recovery. The character may let go of, then immediately regrab, the ledge, and be granted invincibility another two times. From there, subsequent regrabs of the ledge will grant no invincibility at all until the character sets foot on actual ground first.

Effective routes for recoveries are heavily dependent on a specific character's toolkit; it is best to learn recovery options of a specific character by reading up on their respective wiki pages.

A successful recovery from far off-stage may look something like the following sequence:

Mid-air JumpDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: > Airdodge towards stage > Wall Jump > Default Controls
Xbox/GCN: Left Analog Stick
KB: / / / + SpecialDefault Controls
Xbox:
GCN:
KB: > Ledge-grab

Win Conditions

Under default competitive rulesets, every game begins with each player having 3 stocks and 8 minutes on a timer.

There are two ways a game is decided, and two corresponding ways to break a tie:

• By total KO: Once a player loses all their stocks, the other player with remaining stocks is declared the winner.
  • Tiebreaker: If both players each lose their final stock simultaneously, on the same exact frame (1/60th of a second), both players will respawn together. They will still have 1 stock each, and they will retain the damage previously accumulated instead of resetting to 0%.
• By timeout: Once the timer reaches 0, the winner is the player with more stocks. If both players have the same number of stocks, the winner is whichever player has taken less damage.
  • Tiebreaker: If, when the timer reaches 0, both players have exactly the same number of stocks and the same amount of damage taken, the timer transforms into a 10-second "OVERTIME" timer. The players have those 10 seconds to take more stocks and/or deal more damage.
    • Once overtime ends, the winner is once again determined by the timeout ruling: winner has the higher number of stocks, or else the lesser amount of damage taken.
    • If both players still have the same number of stocks and damage taken by the end of overtime, overtime restarts to 10 seconds. Overtime will continue to restart until there is a difference in stock count or damage taken by the time the timer reaches 0.
    • If a player loses their final stock before the end of overtime, overtime will end prematurely and a winner is decided by total KO.

Further Reading

For more information on control configurations and custom settings, consult the Controls page.

For a full rundown on universal moves and mechanics, consult the System Mechanics page.

Navigation

Character Select

System Explanations

Essentials
• How to Play • Controls • System Mechanics •
• Stages • HUD • Training Mode •
Detailed & Advanced Information
• Universal Strategy • Frame Data Explanation • Esoterica •
• Gameplay Recording • Character Stats •
Archived Information
• FAQ • Patch Notes • Discords •
Customization
• In-Game Store • Icons • Emotes • Character Progression •