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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

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

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost players into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.