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Respawn Entertainment have an exciting surprise in store for the popular battle royale players, arriving just in time for festive season. Fans of this game's highly fluid traversal can rejoice to learn that a new movement mechanic will be introduced when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Unveiling The Mantle Boost

Named "Momentum Boosting" by the developers, this ability provides gamers a surge of forward momentum when climbing over obstacles. According to lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese, Mantle Boosting was previously been a feature of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." However it's no easy feat for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. In this update, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these tricky movement boosts.

"This technique have been in the game for a while, but the movement requires skill to perform and gamers might not realize it [is in the game] without outside knowledge," the designer states. "We're adding a visual cue so players can easily see when and how to activate the fast-paced traversal skill, making accessible the feature and introducing new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Make It Accessible

What's the reason for making a previously obscure movement quirk accessible to all players? Principal designer the development lead explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — even those who are inexperienced.

"Our community performs other crazy stuff like super-gliding and tap-strafes, and we looked around at other games, observed what the community execute, and we wondered, 'How can we extend these capabilities to more players?'" the designer explains. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — it requires to change controls and hit precise timings. So we said, 'What if we create a polished version?'"

The Amped Update Emphasis on Mobility

Movement is primarily the central theme in this season, with Legends Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant all getting buffs to help keep them mobile. Recovery time on Horizon's Gravity Lift has been decreased, and this skill will boost players into the air much quicker than it used to. Rampart's Amped Cover feature a roof and capability to grant movement bonuses to allies in range. However it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting the most attention now, with various adjustments applied to make her stronger, faster, and more lethal.

"I think many agree that Valkyrie's time has arrived," states character developer the designer. "Certainly she was dominant in the past, but with the introduction of new Legends, mobility perks, and Evac Towers, it felt like she's not very relevant in current the game. It was a really great opportunity for the team to reexamine a bunch of aspects in her abilities and sort of restore her to her glory days."

Valkyrie's Upgrades

To restore her competitive status in current strategies, Holstead says Respawn assessed all her skills and implemented some powerful changes. Her jetpack have been upgraded, increasing her speed during flight, and the jets themselves regenerates three times faster, enabling her to remain longer aloft. Now she won't be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which has also been upgraded to mark enemies who are hit from it. Her squad redeploy skill — which lifts her entire squad into the air for repositioning or retreat — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new Legend Upgrades that players can choose to reduce fuel consumption, expand the spread of her rockets, or further speed up her ultimate takeoff time.

"Valkyrie's equipment now delivers on that jet-fighter fantasy," he comments.

Olympus Improvements

Additionally, the lone airborne map, Olympus, receives a movement-friendly facelift, with an extensive redesign that expands choke points and makes claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn says the game Season 27 focuses on providing gamers the tools they need to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we examined the game's fundamental nature as a movement shooter," says lead Legend designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale Season 27: Amped releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.