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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.