The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward faster than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.
