Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update

The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in matches.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.