Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update
Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
