Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible This Season
The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.
"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."
The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible
What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team wants gamers to feel powerful β including ones who are new.
"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use β you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"
The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.
"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, 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 take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill β which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat β requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in matches.
"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.
