Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers has a special treat 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 goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost players into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.