The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers have a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to keep up with matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.
