Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans 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.
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"
Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.
"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.
Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.
"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.
Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.
