🔗 Share this article The Battle Royale's Niche Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4. Introducing The Mantle Boost Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling ledges and walls. According to key developer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to execute these tricky movement boosts. "This technique have been in Apex for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can easily see when and how to trigger the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing new ways 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 Josh Mohan says developers aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are new. "Our community performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official implementation?'" The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. However the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, faster, and deadlier. "In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," states character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. It was a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and sort of bring her back to former prominence." Enhancements to the Aerial Legend To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive ability — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time. "Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead comments. Map Changes Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition. "Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead. Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.