Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update

Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current 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 former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.