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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." 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 simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.