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The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"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, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, 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 enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that players 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," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in the competition.

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

The battle royale the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.