Titanfall 2’s popular wallrunning mechanic may be the single most-requested feature in Apex Legends history, but Respawn still has “no plans” to ever add it in the battle royale. To put it simply, it just “doesn’t fit” in their flagship title.
The ‘wallrunning’ movement mechanic — a key part of Respawn’s original Titanfall saga — has cast its shadow over Apex Legends since the battle royale was first officially unveiled all the way back in early 2019. Where it once dominated Titanfall’s multiplayer playlists, it now looms for a different reason; its absence is felt heavily by the Apex fandom.
The reason is simple. Apex Legends feels like a Titanfall sequel in all but name, with characters, worlds, and storylines all wrapped up in Respawn’s world. So, it makes that the iconic mechanic would come along for the ride too.
That’s not in Respawn’s plans, however; wallrunning has never made the jump.
There’s a simple reason for that too. According to Respawn developer Daniel Z. Klein, the map-breaking movement just “doesn’t fit” the battle royale.
!["Wallrunning defined the Titanfall series, but "doesn't fit" in Apex Legends." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-300x169.jpg 300w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-768x432.jpg 768w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-800x450.jpg 800w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-175x98.jpg 175w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-1248x702.jpg 1248w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-630x354.jpg 630w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-479x269.jpg 479w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14-150x84.jpg 150w, https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/maxresdefault-14.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Respawn Entertainment</figcaption></figure><span class="block m-1 ml-0">Wallrunning defined the Titanfall series, but “doesn’t fit” in Apex Legends.</span></div>
<h2>Wallrunning “bad fit” for Apex Legends</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not saying wallrunning is bad. I’m saying wallrunning is a bad fit for Apex Legends,” the Respawn designer wrote on </span><strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/kigdo4/everything_is_broken_or_yall_just_like_to_complain/ghbyuqm/?context=10000" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reddit</a></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “[Apex] is a game where positioning matters, where getting the drop on enemies matters… loadouts matter.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you “bust open the skill ceiling” with vertical fast movement like wallrunning, all the core aspects of Apex Legends “become irrelevant,” Klein explained. “Is my opponent a lot better than me at the movement model? If so, I’m screwed, no matter what else.”</span></p><div data-placeholder="ad"></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That just doesn’t fit into the kind of game Apex is,” he added.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Anecdotally, people absolutely loved the constant sugar high of Titanfall multiplayer, but then also very quickly burned out on it,” the dev noted.</span></p><div data-placeholder="mid-article-widget"></div>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sure, some players stuck with it for a very long time, but on average it’s the kind of game you play and absolutely love for a few weeks and then you’re kind of done.</span></p><div data-placeholder="ad-lite"></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s very unlikely wallrunning will ever come to Apex proper.”</span></p><div data-placeholder="ad"></div>
<div class="caption"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1486559" src="https://editors.dexerto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/evento-halloween-capa-1572540443526_v2_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Apex's](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditors.dexerto.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fmaxresdefault-14-1024x576.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Respawn aren’t binning wallrunning entirely
That being said, Klein did admit there is ‘still a future’ for the popular mechanic. It may not find a home in the battlefields of Apex Legends, but when Respawn does eventually “makes other games in the future,” there’s every chance they’ll bring wallrunning back too.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a game that’s less player-vs-player focused could bring the amazing movement model of Titanfall 2 back. Like, if there ever is a Titanfall 3, for instance… it’s just not a good fit for Apex Legends,” he explained.
Funnily enough, Respawn has already done that too. Their Star Wars title, ‘Jedi: Fallen Order,’ took full advantage of wallrunning for certain levels. The game’s hero, padawan Cal Kestis, had to unlock the popular mechanic.
Unfortunately, there might be a wait for the next one; Klein made sure to add Respawn’s only focus right now is developing and expanding Apex: “There’s nothing being worked on at the moment, I’m afraid.”
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