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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.