Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season
The game developers has a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he says.
Map Changes
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools required to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.