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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche movement quirk accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will boost players upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

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

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