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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

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