The Battle Royale's Niche Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update

Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in the competition.

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

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.