Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to play for more players."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.
"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.
