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The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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