The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."
Why Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.