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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.