Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update

The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. 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 the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.