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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

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

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