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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in matches.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.