Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream This Season

Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

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

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.