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The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.