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

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends 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 tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team evaluated all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer 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 skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer the lead.

The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.