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The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game 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 tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant changes. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad skyward for repositioning or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.