The game developers have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Introducing The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
Why Make It Accessible
Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.
"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.
"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.
