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The game developers have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly 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 Apex. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.

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

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