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The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update is all about giving players the tools required to keep up with matches.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.