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The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement can rejoice to learn 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 provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers wants players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly 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 tools they need to compete in matches.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.