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The game developers has a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.