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The game developers have a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling Mantle Boosting

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, this technique was previously been a feature of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "We're adding a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and adding fresh strategies to compete for more players."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to all players? Principal designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, certain techniques are kind of janky to access — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is primarily the central theme in Season 27, with Legends Horizon, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and this skill will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls now include overhead protection and the ability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, quicker, and deadlier.

"In my opinion many agree that her moment has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, mobility perks, and redeployment tools, it felt like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, the developer says Respawn assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets have been upgraded, increasing velocity during flight, and this equipment regenerates three times faster, allowing the player to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires much less time to activate. Additionally, she gains recently added Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and renders claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the tools required to compete in matches.

"Really, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer the lead.

The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.