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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

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 changes. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to keep up with matches.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.