Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible This Season
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to keep up with the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.