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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.