Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
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 players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.