Rivals Gets its Polar Bear Soon! Etalus Release Date, Abilities
Rivals of Aether 2 has been going strong since it launched back in October, with events like Rivals 3D keeping things fresh while players wait for the first new fighter to arrive in Rivals of Aether 2. Now, just ahead of the game's two-month anniversary, Aether Studios has finally confirmed who the first DLC fighter to bump the roster up to 11 is none other than the ice-laden menace Etalus.
While many expected Etalus to arrive soon after launch thanks to some icons seen in a pre-release trailer, Aether Studios officially confirmed the reappearance of the polar bear brute in a trailer released on the studio's YouTube channel.
Etalus Revealed for Rivals of Aether 2
The trailer starts with Etalus narrating over a Game of Thrones-esque model of the land of Aether. After letting players know why the Ice is the greatest region in the land over the likes of the Air and Fireland. We're then thrust into a gameplay demonstration of the new character, and those of you like myself who mained Etalus in Rivals 1 will be happy to know he looks virtually identical. Aside from the new techniques introduced in Rivals of Aether 2, like throws and ledge specials.
For those who missed the original, Etalus is a heavy-hitting bruiser whose main gimmick is creating ice along the ground. This can be used to slip along and make your attacks travel further, but Etalus is also able to smash the ice, which not only can freeze enemies but give him ice armor to make him even more of a beast. There will no doubt be people who are dreading his return however; as his hard-hitting moves and devious grapple special (that yeets your opponent into oblivion if caught in midair) will likely be just as hellish to deal with as in the original.
The trailer also gave us our first look at Etalus' skins. His default is identical to his look from the original game (now in 3D) with his ice mouthguard intact. However, we also got a look at a premium skin that swaps out the ice for bones resulting in a fantastic dinosaur with some bone armor look. A similar look is also shown for Kragg, which could be a hint at a dinosaur-themed event for January.
Who is the Voice Actor for Etalus in Rivals of Aether 2?
Aether Studios also announced on Twitter that Erik Braa – best known for voicing The Legend of Zelda's Master Kogha and most recently Moon Knight in Marvel Rivals – is the voice of Etalus, with a very fitting Russian accent for the character.
"Winter is upon us!"
— Aether Studios (@StudiosofAether) December 19, 2024
The Viking of Voice, @erikbraa, is Etalus in Rivals of Aether II! pic.twitter.com/cwnUDkG0Kq
Rivals of Aether 2 Etalus DLC Release Date
The Rivals of Aether 2 Etalus DLC release date is set for January 21, 2025. So we have just over a month still to wait until the latest Rivals of Aether 2 character arrives in the game. The good news is that – like all future DLC fighters – Etalus will be a free update to the game; you won't have to pay a cent to pick him up on January 21.
The end of the Rivals of Aether 2 Etalus trailer also showed off a DLC schedule with Etalus kicking things off in Winter 2025, and three more coming in Spring, Summer, and Fall, respectively. There are slight silhouettes shown, but so far, no one seems to have cracked them. Although players are expecting the next character to be Absa from Rivals of Aether 1 – who was shown as the Sky representative in the opening of this trailer. The final two fighters are expected to be from extended universe games like Dungeons of Aether and a brand new character.
NEXT: Marvel Rivals Winter Celebration Event: Release Date, New Jeff Skin
