The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update

The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting 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 ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.