The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update
Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.
"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.
"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.
The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
