Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream This Season

The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team 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 the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.

Antonio Goodwin
Antonio Goodwin

A seasoned traveler and writer passionate about sharing unique global perspectives and sustainable living tips.