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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to play for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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