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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game this update focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

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