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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting 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. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

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

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