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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.