Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.
Introducing Mantle Boosting
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, 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 a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team evaluated all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.