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The game developers has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially been a feature of Apex Legends 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 tournaments. This season, the team is making it easier for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains developers wants gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community is doing other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment has arrived," says character developer the designer. "Certainly that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she fell behind in today's Apex. It was an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, Holstead says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, allowing her to spend more time in the air. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting recently added Legend Upgrades that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the only floating arena, Olympus, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game this update is all about giving players the tools they need to keep up with matches.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," explains principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.