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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad 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 conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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