The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Map Changes
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game this update is all about giving players the resources required to keep up with the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.