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The game developers have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways 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 Josh Mohan explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we were looking at Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.