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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.