The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible This Season

The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding 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 movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.