🔗 Share this article Apex Legends' Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream During This Update The game developers has a special treat in store for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4. Unveiling Mantle Boosting Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky speed-boosts. "Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base." Why Make It Accessible Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Principal designer the development lead says the team wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are new. "Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend some of this power to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'How about we make a polished implementation?'" The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users upward much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal. "I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to former prominence." Enhancements to the Aerial Legend To restore Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches teammates into the air for redeployment or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains recently added perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation. "Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he says. Map Changes Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and renders securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the resources required to keep up with the competition. "Essentially, we examined Apex's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan. Apex Legends the Amped season releases November 4th at the specified times.