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The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.