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The game developers have a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in matches.

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

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