The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.
"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
