The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible This Season
The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead says the team aims for players to feel powerful β even those who are inexperienced.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use β it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time 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 β which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat β requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.
"Really, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.
Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
