Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky 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 [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools required to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
