Apex Legends' Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.
Map Changes
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.
