The Battle Royale's Specialized Traversal Techniques Are Going Mainstream This Season

Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise prepared for Apex Legends players, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement will be pleased to learn that an innovative traversal feature is being implemented when the Amped season goes live on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Named "Mantle Boosting" by Respawn, this feature provides gamers a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer Eric Canavese, this technique has unofficially been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's no easy feat for casual gamers, 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 movement boosts.

"This technique existed in the game for a while, but executing it isn't easy to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without external guides," the designer explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane movement ability, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for more players."

Why Make It Accessible

Why make a previously obscure technique accessible to everyone? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan says the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we examined at other games, looked at what the community are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide some of this power to a broader audience?'" Mohan clarifies. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Movement Focus

Mobility is largely the central theme in Season 27, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them in motion. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and this skill will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover now include overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However the spotlight is on aerial this Legend receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was top-tier previously, but due to the addition of other characters, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she fell behind in current Apex. This presented an ideal chance for the team to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and sort of bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, the developer notes Respawn evaluated all her skills and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, boosting velocity while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't take damage from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who take damage from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which lifts teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

"Her jet pack now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes claiming the high ground more manageable. The developers state Apex Legends Season 27 is all about giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Really, we were looking at the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases Nov. 4 at the specified times.