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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains the team wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.