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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

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

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility 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 help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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