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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains developers aims for players to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, some of these techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated all her skills and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark opponents who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.