🔗 Share this article

Respawn Entertainment has a special treat prepared for Apex Legends players, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of this game's super-slick traversal can rejoice to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season launches on November 4th.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and typically employed by competitive players in competitive play or tournaments. In this update, the team is making it easier for everyone to successfully perform these advanced movement boosts.

"This technique have been in Apex for a while, but the movement isn't easy to perform and gamers would never know it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the mechanic and adding fresh strategies to play for more players."

The Reasoning Behind Make It Accessible

Why make a once niche movement quirk available to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says developers wants players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" the designer clarifies. "Because currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are kind of janky to access — you need to change controls and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Movement Focus

Movement is largely the central theme in this season, with characters the gravity mage, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to maintain them in motion. Recovery time on her tactical ability is shorter, and this skill will propel users into the air much quicker than before. Her defensive walls now include a roof and capability to provide movement bonuses to those nearby. However it's aerial this Legend receiving significant improvements this season, with various adjustments applied to make her more potent, faster, and deadlier.

"I think many agree that her moment is here," states Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt that she's been top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To reclaim her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says the team assessed each of her abilities and implemented some powerful modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing velocity during flight, and the jets themselves now recharge three times faster, enabling her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to mark enemies who take damage from it. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for redeployment or retreat — requires reduced delay to fire up. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can select to conserve resources, widen the area of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate activation.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with major changes that expands bottlenecks and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. Respawn state Apex Legends this update is all about providing gamers the resources required to keep up with matches.

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

Apex Legends Season 27: Amped launches November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.