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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.