Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, 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 isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.
