The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update
The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.
Unveiling The Mantle Boost
Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."
The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.
"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility
Mobility is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."
Enhancements to the Aerial Legend
To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.
"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Map Changes
Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update is all about providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.
"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.
The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.