Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a once niche technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that her moment is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools required to keep up with matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
