🔗 Share this article

Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped goes live on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique was previously existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for some time, but the movement requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer states. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a once niche technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. So we said, 'What if we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the name of the game in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to help keep them mobile. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include a roof and the ability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," states Legend designer the designer. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to revisit multiple elements [of her kit] and sort of restore her to former prominence."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says the team evaluated each of her abilities and implemented significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing her to spend more time aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad skyward for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says the game this update focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at the specified times.