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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[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 more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.