The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.
Unveiling Mantle Boosting
Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.
"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."
Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics
What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.
"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"
The Amped Update Movement Focus
Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and more lethal.
"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."
Valkyrie's Upgrades
To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.
"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.
Olympus Improvements
Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.
"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.
The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.
