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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed 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 movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost players upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Really, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.