🔗 Share this article

Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when scaling obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously 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 is mainly used by competitive players in competitive play or esports competitions. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend receiving the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing her speed while airborne, and the jets themselves regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for repositioning or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Map Changes

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about giving players the resources they need to compete in matches.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.

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