Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility 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. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.
"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
