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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward faster than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.