🔗 Share this article The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4. Introducing Mantle Boosting Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts. "Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for a much wider base." The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced. "[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'" The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them mobile. 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 now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal. "In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence." Enhancements to the Aerial Legend To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. 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 into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate activation. "Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments. Map Changes Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition. "Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer the lead. The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.