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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature gives players a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. As explained key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for quite a while, often called as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to successfully perform these tricky speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to pull off and gamers would never know it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can easily see when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to compete for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead says developers aims for gamers to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Since currently, certain techniques are somewhat awkward to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant receiving enhancements to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments implemented to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "Certainly that she's been top-tier previously, but with the introduction of other characters, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, boosting velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes reduced delay to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack now delivers on the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends this update focuses on giving players the tools they need to keep up with the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at the specified times.