Movement Skills Reworked

A couple of weeks ago, we gave you a glimpse into our plans for The Riftbreaker after the release of the 2.0 Update. We mentioned that, apart from World Expansion IV, slated for early 2026, we are working on several other improvements for the game in the short term. One of our focus areas is the suite of movement skills for Mr. Riggs. While they were functional and useful, it is no secret that the dash and teleport skills outperformed the rest of the pack. Encouraged by the warm reception of the reworked Dodge Roll, we decided that this is the perfect moment to show the other movement skills some love. They are our main topic today - let’s get started!

[h3]An Overview & the Dodge Roll[/h3]

The first version of the Dodge Roll was just that - a combat roll. It was not very effective in the face of the hordes you usually see in the game.

The movement skills in The Riftbreaker have had a rocky start. For a long time, the only skill that was available to Mr. Riggs was the dash. If you played our trade show demo in 2018, the pre-alpha build in 2019, or the Prologue in 2020, it is likely that the dash was your only choice. It comes as no surprise - the dash skill grants the mech much-needed mobility around the battlefield. It allows you to catch up to distant enemies and move away to safety if you’re getting swarmed. Getting it right was a lengthy process, as we needed to get the speed, inertia, animations, effects, and cooldowns to make it feel that way. Unfortunately, once the other movement skills became available, they fell victim to the popularity of the dash - it was so effective that few players felt the need to try anything else. We want to change that.

The new version of the Dodge Roll skill, also known as 'Rolling Wrecking Ball of Total Mayhem'.

In one of the previous updates, we introduced the reworked Dodge Roll skill - both as an improvement for you, and as a proof of concept for us. If we could make the dodge roll an exciting and viable alternative for the dash, then the sky was the limit. In its first iteration, this skill granted Mr. Riggs a short invulnerability period and allowed him to roll away a couple of meters, without disabling collisions with other objects. Essentially, it was a worse version of Dash. We decided to give the Dodge Roll an entirely new identity.

You can use the Dodge Roll to attack, but also to run away from a fight.

The new, reworked version of this skill turns Mr. Riggs into a Rolling Wrecking Ball of Total Mayhem (which totally sounds like a Diablo item). After activating the skill, your mech curls up into a ball and starts rolling in the direction of your choice. During that time, you are invulnerable and you do not collide with other units, allowing you to escape the danger. By default, Mr. Riggs can keep rolling for a couple of seconds, but you can stop this skill at any time, giving you greater flexibility. And best of all, there is an explosion at the end that clears your surroundings of immediate danger. With these changes in place, the Dodge Roll skill finally became a viable alternative to the Dash. It was a clear sign for us that this was the way forward for other movement skills as well.

[h3]Power Jump[/h3]

In the previous version, the Power Jump could fail after activation, not allowing you to reach your desired location. It was possible to learn its quirks, but it was too unreliable for most people to use comfortably.

Another movement skill that was available in the game was the Power Jump. It had some problems that you have been reporting to us. The premise was simple - you point at the spot you want to jump towards, press the button, and watch the destruction unfold. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well most of the time. First of all, it wasn’t quite clear where Mr. Riggs was going to land because of Mr. Riggs’ flight pattern. When you decided to use this skill, the mech flew up and forward towards the target, and then rapidly descended to land with a shockwave. We liked the pattern itself, but not the unpredictable nature of it. This is why the spot where Mr. Riggs will land is now always clearly marked on the ground.

The new and improved version is far more predictable. It will get the job done in the same spots where the previous iteration would fail.

Another issue with the jump skill was the ability to fly over obstacles. Sometimes the mech would collide with buildings, rocks, or other objects mid-air, making you land in a different spot than you intended. With the new version, Mr. Riggs will attempt to fly over obstacles of a certain height. However, if he encounters an indestructible object, he will stop his jump earlier, as indicated by the marker on the ground. On the other hand, if Mr. Riggs can destroy the obstacles on the way to your target, he will happily do so mid-air. There have also been multiple other minor tweaks to make the new Power Jump feel much more predictable, snappy, and combat-ready, including changes to the range and power of the final explosion. It is better in every way, and we hope that you decide to give it a try!

SEE YA! If you're missing just a little bit of range to make it to the other side of a large terrain obstacle, the Power Jump algorithm will extend the jump a little bit for you.

[h3]Teleport[/h3]

The last movement skill that we decided to rework is the Teleport. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with this skill. On the contrary, once you get access to it, it provides an incredible strategic advantage. The ability to simply point at a certain spot and teleport there at the click of a button is useful both in and out of combat, allowing you to bypass terrain obstacles and move around your base with ease. It’s the final polish that was missing here. The teleport skill used to work instantaneously, but not in a pleasant way. When Mr. Riggs was transported between the starting and ending locations, the camera made a sharp and sudden jump between those spots. We decided to improve that.

One of the major problems for the Teleport was the fact that you couldn't be entirely sure where you will end up, as the aiming algorithm was very jittery - it would jump between the two sides of a rock, as pictured above.

After the rework, when you initiate the teleport, Mr. Riggs will quickly ‘dissolve’ and move to your desired location as a bolt of lightning. The camera will travel along its path, offering a smoother experience. Since we were already here, we also decided to add a small energy explosion at the teleport’s destination with the ability to stun the surrounding creatures. You’re welcome. Additionally, the teleport can extend slightly further than your range of vision. If you tell Mr. Riggs to teleport to an invalid location, such as a canyon edge or inside a rock, the algorithm will extend your jump a little bit. This will allow you to cover large distances quickly and escape danger if needed. We also removed the teleport cursor effect (the light refraction around the cursor that appeared when the skill was equipped). It was too distracting and harmed the on-screen visual clarity - something we had fought for before the release of the 2.0 Update. The new version of the teleport feels much more responsive, and the additional damage effect at the end opens up offensive capabilities. It is a force to be reckoned with.

The new Teleport skill will get you across canyons and rocks with ease.

You don't even need to see the end point of your teleport if there is an obstacle in the way - just point as far as you can, and we'll take care of the rest.

[h3]Wrap-up[/h3]

All the skills we recently reworked have been adapted for multiplayer use. We made sure that players’ movement is correctly replicated across the server and its clients, so you should no longer encounter weird visual bugs or usability issues. We hope the changes we have made will improve your range of viable choices for the mech’s loadout. This is just one of the things we are currently working on - you can expect much more from us in the coming months, especially with the new World Expansion IV update in a couple of months. Sign up for our newsletter to always get the latest news, and join our Discord at https://www.discord.gg/exorstudios - we’re always happy to answer all your questions there!

EXOR Studios