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The game developers have an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

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

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, 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 movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

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