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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. In this update, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

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

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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