Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit 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 characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that her moment is here," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine 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 the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says the game this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.
