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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.