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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn 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 Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier 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 current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

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

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