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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn 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 requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify 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 once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves 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 mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.