Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible During This Update

The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

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