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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.