The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a polished version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.
"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.
