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

The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called 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 execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been 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," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.