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The game developers has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. But it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, the developer notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," says principal designer the lead.

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