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Respawn Entertainment have a special treat prepared for Apex Legends 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 is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, 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 competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we said, 'What if we extend some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as more potent, quicker, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to remain longer in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate activation.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we were looking at Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at the specified times.