Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and execute within 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 Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.