Apex Legends "punch-boost" movement trick removed in Season 12

June 2023 · 2 minute read

What became a very popular movement trick in Apex Legends has now been removed: The “punch-boost” is no longer possible as of the Season 12 update.

Tap-strafing and super-gliding are just some of the popular Apex Legends movement tricks. The downside is they can often be hard to pull off or flat out impossible for some players.

However, the punch-boost is easy, powerful, and available to everyone. Discovered by ‘wrthcrw,’ mastering the trick will see you flying down the slopes of Storm Point, or any other Apex Legends map, with speed.

Unfortunately for anyone who loved using the mechanic, it will no longer be possible as of the Season 12 update on February 8, per the patch notes.

Forget tap-strafing off Octane pads. Punch-boosting is the new movement tech in Apex Legends.

How to punch-boost in Apex Legends

The punch-boost essentially extends your momentum from a punch by combining it with a backwards slide. It worked on any elevated surface, but worked best when sliding down hills.

  • First, you have to find a slope or some terrain that is “higher than your feet”
  • Crouch and walk up to it.
  • Melee the slope while crouching, and at the same time hold your backwards key (either analog stick back or S)
  • You should slide backwards at a way faster rate than regular sliding.

    • You could chain these together too, just punch again when your animation has reset and you’ll gain even more momentum ⁠— peaking at over twice the velocity of just regular sliding. Just don’t jump, as that’ll ruin all your hard work.

    Punch-boosting was also more effective with movement legends such as Octane or Horizon, who can boost their own velocity or maintain it. Even a Bloodhound during Thrill of the Hunt can gain extra effects from punch-boosting.

    Perhaps the reason punch-boosting was removed is that it’s really easy to execute, and even controller players can do it, unlike tap-strafing which is a PC-only technique.

    Like some of earlier movement exploits in Apex, once it becomes too common and used frequently, it can impact the gameplay too strongly, causing devs to step in and take action.

    For now, you’ll no longer be able to boost your speed by punching the ground.

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