The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, 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 tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.
"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"
Season 27 Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects 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, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.