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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "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 Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.