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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, 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 casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says the team aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost users into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.

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

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