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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans 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 November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

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

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