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

Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff 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 extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says the game this update is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.

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