Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing 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 tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in the competition.
"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.