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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased 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 ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill 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 users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

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

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