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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

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

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