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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost players upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer the designer. "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 current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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