🔗 Share this article The Battle Royale's Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream This Season Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Fans of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4. Unveiling Mantle Boosting Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts. "This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to play for a much wider base." The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced. "[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a more official implementation?'" Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will propel players into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier. "In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days." Enhancements to the Aerial Legend To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires 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 further speed up her ultimate takeoff time. "Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he says. Olympus Improvements Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to compete in matches. "Really, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead. Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.