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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for gamers to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since right now, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward faster than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing her to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches teammates skyward for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state the game this update is all about providing gamers the resources they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer the lead.

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