🔗 Share this article

The game developers has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these tricky speed-boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and a player would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Since right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that players can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment fulfills the pilot experience," he says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the tools required to keep up with matches.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.