The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to feel powerful β even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access β you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill β which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape β now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says the game this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.
