Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.
"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. 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 fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
