Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains the team wants players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a more official version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.
"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
