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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.