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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers 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, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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