Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.
"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources required to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
