The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Become Widely Accessible This Season

Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.