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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us 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 notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.