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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to compete in matches.

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

The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.