Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
Why Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.
"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.