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The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.