Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game this update is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with matches.
"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
