Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.
