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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to 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 successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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