Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, 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 the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.