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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, 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. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools required to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.