The Battle Royale's Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update

The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.