The Battle Royale's Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for more players."
Why Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants players to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we make a more official version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. It was 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 reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.