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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale 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 November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.