Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost players upward faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented 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. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.
