🔗 Share this article

The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we examined Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.