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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting 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 fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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