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The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game 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 tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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