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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

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