Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."
Why Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a more official version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.
"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
