Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.
