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The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities 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 Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.