Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
