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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for quite a while, often called as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer the development lead says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'How about we create a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for the team to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to keep up with the competition.

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

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.