The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides 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 explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state the game this update is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
