The Battle Royale's Niche Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update

Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.