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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

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