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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes the team evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.