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The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in the competition.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.