Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
