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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained lead battle royale designer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we make a more official version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting enhancements to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However the spotlight is on aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.