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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

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

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

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