🔗 Share this article

The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed 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 execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are new.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost players upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the resources required to keep up with matches.

"Really, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

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