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The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "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 introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.