Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
