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

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains developers aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a more official implementation?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost users into the air faster than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current the game. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, the developer says the team assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer in the air. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added perk choices that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update is all about giving players the tools they need to compete in the competition.

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

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.