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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.