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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of Apex Legends for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." 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 players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting 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 now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team evaluated all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, 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 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

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

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