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Respawn Entertainment has 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 movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.