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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature 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 movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward faster than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.