The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update is all about providing gamers the tools required to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.
