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The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.