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The game developers have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for the holidays. Enthusiasts of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when the Amped season launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Mantle Boosting" by the developers, this feature provides gamers a surge of propulsion when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for some time, usually referred to as "ledge boosting." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts existed in Apex for a while, but executing it requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to activate the fast-paced movement ability, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique available to everyone? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for gamers to feel powerful — even those who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community execute, and we said, 'How can we extend these capabilities to a broader audience?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we make a more official implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with characters Horizon, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel players into the air much quicker than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and the ability to provide movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying Valkyrie receiving significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to make her stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been dominant previously, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented 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 reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says the team evaluated each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed during flight, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which has also been upgraded to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates into the air for repositioning or escape — now takes reduced delay to activate. She's also getting recently added perk choices that players can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or further speed up her Skyward Dive activation.

"Her jet pack fulfills that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands bottlenecks and makes securing elevated positions more manageable. Respawn says the game this update focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature 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.