Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends 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 Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.
