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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, 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.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But it's the high-flying this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game this update is all about giving players the tools they need to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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