🔗 Share this article Apex Legends' Niche Traversal Techniques Become Widely Accessible During This Update Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on November 4th. Introducing Mantle Boosting Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when scaling obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." But it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced speed-boosts. "This technique have been in Apex for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane movement ability, opening up the mechanic and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base." Why Make It Accessible What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains developers wants players to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced. "[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we make a polished version?'" The Amped Update Movement Focus Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air faster than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and the ability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. However it's aerial Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and deadlier. "In my opinion many agree that Valkyrie's time is here," says character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in today's the game. This presented a really great opportunity for us to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially restore her to former prominence." Valkyrie's Upgrades To restore Valkyrie's relevance in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, boosting her speed during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling her to spend more time aloft. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her Skyward Dive ability — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time. "Valkyrie's equipment fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," Holstead comments. Map Changes Even the game's lone airborne map, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 is all about providing gamers the tools required to compete in matches. "Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan. The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.