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Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, perfectly timed for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's highly fluid traversal will be pleased to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a burst of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's challenging for the average player, and typically employed by pro gamers in Ranked Mode or esports competitions. This season, Respawn simplifies the process for players of all skill levels to successfully perform these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique existed in Apex for some time, but executing it isn't easy to perform and a player would never know it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer explains. "Now including a visual cue so users can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to play for a much wider base."

The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to everyone? Principal designer Josh Mohan says the team wants gamers to feel powerful — including ones who are inexperienced.

"[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafes, and we looked around at our competition, observed what our players execute, and we wondered, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" Mohan explains. "Since currently, some of these advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to use — you need to remap your keybinds and execute within one-frame windows. We proposed, 'What if we make a more official version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is largely the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, the defensive specialist, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them mobile. The cooldown period on Horizon's Gravity Lift is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will boost users into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature overhead protection and capability to grant speed boosts to those nearby. But the spotlight is on aerial this Legend who's getting significant improvements this season, with multiple tweaks applied to enhance her as more potent, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," says character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. This presented an ideal chance for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects [of her kit] and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in the game's meta, the developer says Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful modifications. Her VTOL Jets received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing the player to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — requires reduced delay to activate. She's also getting some new Legend Upgrades that users can choose to conserve resources, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her Skyward Dive takeoff time.

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

Olympus Improvements

Even the game's lone airborne map, Olympus, is getting a mobility-focused facelift, with major changes that opens up choke points and makes securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers says Apex Legends Season 27 focuses on giving players the tools required to compete in matches.

"Essentially, we examined the game's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.