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Respawn Entertainment has a special treat in store for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of the battle royale's super-slick traversal will be pleased to discover that an innovative traversal feature will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to key developer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting has unofficially been a feature of the game for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and is mainly used by pro gamers in competitive play or tournaments. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and a player might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can clearly identify the timing to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the mechanic and introducing fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a once niche technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers aims for gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players are doing, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished implementation?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost users upward faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on the high-flying Valkyrie who's getting significant improvements now, with various adjustments applied to enhance her as stronger, quicker, and more lethal.

"I think there's quite a consensus that Valkyrie's time is here," says Legend designer the designer. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and redeployment tools, it felt like she fell behind in today's Apex. This presented an ideal chance for us to reexamine multiple elements in her abilities and essentially bring her back to former prominence."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes the team assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting her speed during flight, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark enemies who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy ability — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time 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 ultimate activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, receives a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. Respawn says Apex Legends this update focuses on providing gamers the resources required to compete in matches.

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

Apex Legends the Amped season launches November 4th at the specified times.