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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and the ability to provide speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities 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 implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.