The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.