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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.