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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.