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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer 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 Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

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

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.