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The game developers has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.