Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update is all about giving players the tools required to keep up with matches.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
