The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
Why make a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements 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 faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.
"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to keep up with matches.
"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
