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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability 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 been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.