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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost players into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the tools they need to keep up with matches.

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

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.