Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.
