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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and gamers 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 movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with matches.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.