Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update

The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up 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 accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.