🔗 Share this article

Respawn Entertainment have a special treat in store for the popular battle royale gamers, arriving just in time for festive season. Enthusiasts of the battle royale's super-slick traversal can rejoice to discover that a new movement mechanic is being implemented when Season 27: Amped launches on Nov. 4.

Introducing Mantle Boosting

Dubbed "Momentum Boosting" by Respawn, this ability gives players a surge of propulsion when climbing over ledges and walls. According to lead battle royale designer the design lead, Mantle Boosting was previously existed of the game for quite a while, usually referred to as "mantle jumping." But it's challenging for casual gamers, and typically employed by competitive players in Ranked Mode or tournaments. This season, Respawn is making it easier for players of all skill levels to execute these advanced speed-boosts.

"Mantle Boosts have been in the game for some time, but the movement isn't easy to pull off and gamers might not realize it's possible without outside knowledge," Canavese states. "Now including a Mantle Boost indicator so users can clearly identify the timing to trigger the high-octane traversal skill, opening up the feature and adding new ways to compete for a much wider base."

Why Opening Up Advanced Mechanics

Why make a previously obscure technique available to all players? Lead Legend designer Josh Mohan explains the team aims for players to experience empowerment — including ones who are new.

"Our community is doing advanced techniques like super-glides and tap-strafing, and we examined at our competition, observed what the community are doing, and we said, 'How can we provide these capabilities to more players?'" the designer clarifies. "Because right now, certain advanced [movement] mechanics are somewhat awkward to access — you need to change controls and hit precise timings. We proposed, 'How about we create a polished version?'"

Season 27 Emphasis on Mobility

Mobility is largely the central theme in this season, with characters Horizon, Rampart, and the aerial combatant receiving buffs to help keep them in motion. The cooldown period on her tactical ability is shorter, and the Gravity Lift will propel players upward much quicker than it used to. Her defensive walls feature overhead protection and capability to grant movement bonuses to those nearby. But it's the high-flying this Legend who's getting significant improvements now, with multiple tweaks implemented to enhance her as stronger, faster, and deadlier.

"In my opinion there's quite a consensus that her moment is here," states character developer Ian Holstead. "Certainly she was dominant previously, but due to the addition of new Legends, movement[-based] passives, and Evac Towers, it seemed like she's not very relevant in today's the game. It was a really great opportunity for us to revisit a bunch of aspects in her abilities and essentially bring her back to her glory days."

Enhancements to the Aerial Legend

To reclaim Valkyrie's relevance in the game's meta, Holstead notes Respawn assessed each of her abilities and introduced significant modifications. Her jetpack received improvements, increasing her speed while airborne, and this equipment regenerates much quicker, enabling the player to spend more time in the air. She can no longer be harmed from her own Missile Swarm, which was enhanced to mark opponents who are hit from the missiles. Her Skyward Dive skill — which launches her entire squad into the air for redeployment or escape — now takes much less time to fire up. Additionally, she gains some new perk choices that users can select to reduce fuel consumption, widen the area of her rockets, or accelerate her ultimate takeoff time.

"Her jet pack fulfills the pilot experience," Holstead says.

Map Changes

Additionally, the only floating arena, this location, is getting a mobility-focused overhaul, with an extensive redesign that opens up bottlenecks and renders claiming the high ground a bit less daunting. Respawn state the game Season 27 is all about giving players the resources required to compete in the competition.

"Essentially, we were looking at the game's core identity as a fast-paced FPS," says principal designer Josh Mohan.

The battle royale the Amped season releases November 4th at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST.