🔗 Share this article Apex Legends' Specialized Movement Mechanics Are Going Mainstream During This Update Respawn Entertainment has an exciting surprise prepared for the popular battle royale gamers, perfectly timed for the holidays. Fans of this game's super-slick movement can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when the Amped season goes live on November 4th. Introducing Mantle Boosting Named "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when scaling ledges and walls. As explained key developer the design lead, this technique has unofficially existed of Apex Legends for some time, often called as "ledge boosting." But it's no easy feat for the average player, and is mainly used by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn simplifies the process for everyone to execute these advanced movement boosts. "Mantle Boosts have been in the game for a while, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and a player might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese explains. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so players can clearly identify when and how to activate the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the mechanic and introducing new ways to play for more players." The Reasoning Behind Opening Up Advanced Mechanics What's the reason for making a once niche movement quirk accessible to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team wants players to feel powerful — even those who are new. "[The playerbase] performs advanced techniques like super-gliding and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, looked at what our players are doing, and we said, 'What if we provide these capabilities to a broader audience?'" the designer explains. "Because currently, some of these techniques are kind of janky to use — it requires to remap your keybinds and execute within precise timings. We proposed, 'What if we make a polished version?'" The Amped Update Movement Focus Mobility is primarily the name of the game in this season, with Legends the gravity mage, Rampart, and Valkyrie receiving enhancements to maintain them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability has been decreased, and the Gravity Lift will propel users into the air faster than before. Rampart's Amped Cover now include a roof and capability to provide speed boosts to allies in range. But it's aerial Valkyrie receiving the most attention now, with multiple tweaks applied to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal. "In my opinion many agree that her moment is here," says Legend designer Ian Holstead. "There's no doubt she was dominant in the past, but due to the addition of other characters, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in current Apex. This presented a really great opportunity for us to revisit multiple elements in her abilities and essentially restore her to her glory days." Valkyrie's Upgrades To reclaim her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead notes Respawn evaluated each of her abilities and introduced some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing velocity while airborne, and this equipment now recharge much quicker, allowing her to remain longer aloft. She can no longer take damage from her ultimate ability, which was enhanced to tag opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her squad redeploy skill — which launches teammates skyward for redeployment or escape — requires reduced delay to activate. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her Missile Swarm, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time. "Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on the pilot experience," he comments. Map Changes Even the game's only floating arena, this location, is getting a movement-friendly overhaul, with major changes that expands choke points and renders securing elevated positions a bit less daunting. The developers state the game this update focuses on providing gamers the resources they need to keep up with matches. "Essentially, we examined Apex's core identity as a movement shooter," explains lead Legend designer the lead. Apex Legends the Amped season launches Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.