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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques 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 implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to keep up with the competition.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.