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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. 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 restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state the game this update is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

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