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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan says developers wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.