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The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.