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The game developers have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.