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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants players to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game this update focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

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

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