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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.