Hello survivors! We recently had the privilege of hosting our 8th anniversary live event alongside many content creators and community members. Due to overwhelming feedback, we are making some major changes to the battlegrounds. Our goals are to bridge the gap between competitive and casual modes, reward skill, and remove random factors. We hope this will lead to the continued growth of PUBG for many years to come!

   

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Live Maintenance Schedule

※ The times shown below are subject to change.

• PC: April 8, 00:00 - 08:30 (UTC)
• Console: April 15, 01:00 - 09:00 (UTC)

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Map Service

※ PC players can anticipate the next rotation every Wednesday at 02:00 UTC, while Console players can expect the same every Thursday at 07:00 UTC.

Schedule

Live Server - Normal Match

Map Select Regions (All Regions)

Dev's comment:  This patch is focused on getting back to basics. The staples of Erangel and Miramar will be in rotation every week with a 40% probability each. The third map will now be the rotating map with a 20% probability. We know that all players have different map preferences, but we feel that this is most in line with the core game.

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※ Please note that the features and updates described below are subject to change or removal due to issues such as bugs, in-game problems, and community feedback. The images are intended as visual references only; the actual game may look different as the builds are continually developed and refined before release.

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Gameplay

Blue Zone

Normal matches will now have the same blue zone settings as ranked/esports. Further, we are experimenting with increased blue zone damage to encourage more player interaction within the play zone. Stay tuned for our dev letter next week detailing blue zone changes and the ranked/leaderboard rework!

Circle settings have been adjusted to provide more variety in starting circle locations.

Bots

• Bots have been removed from normal matches.
• Returning players will no longer be placed in bot matches and will instead enter normal matchmaking.
• Matches without full lobbies will start with a reduced initial circle size based on player count.

Dev's comment:  After much consideration we have decided to remove bots from normal matches. We have found that overall players prefer to play against other players, and we found that bots often interrupt organic gameplay experiences. Bots will remain in casual mode as a means for new or returning players to practice.

Recall System

We’re further revamping the recall system based on your feedback!

Recall Timeline

• Recall flights will now appear immediately after using a Blue Chip Tower or Transmitter
• Recall flight paths will fly directly over the Blue Chip Tower or Transmitter

Dev's comment:  We are streamlining the recall process even further! The purpose of recall is to get your team back after winning a fight or after successfully retreating. There were problems with excessive player wait times and with players respawning too far away. Please continue to give us feedback on these changes!

Casual Mode

Removed the limit of three casual mode games per day. Players can now play any number of casual mode games.

Leaning and Crouching

It has become common for players to repeatedly lean while shooting or to repeatedly crouch while moving. Several adjustments have been made to prevent abusing these mechanics. We will be monitoring these changes along with player feedback very closely.

• Repeated leaning will put a short cooldown on a players ability to lean
• Repeated crouching will put a short cooldown on a players ability to crouch

Dev's comment:  The bottom line is that techniques known as ‘lean spamming’ or ‘crouch spamming’ are not intended. Leaning is meant to be a means for peeking from behind cover. These adjustments will still allow for quick peeking and some jiggling, but it will combat players’ ability to lean left and right repeatedly while shooting. Crouching is meant to be a means for hiding/moving behind cover, reducing recoil, or moving quietly. These adjustments will combat excessive crouching. We have had internal discussion about whether or not these changes reduce or increase PUBG’s skill ceiling. Ultimately we want the core game to be about precise aim and gunplay, not movement. These changes are subject to change, so please continue to share your feedback.

Vehicles

Several adjustments are coming to vehicle spawns and availability!

• All world spawn vehicles, including water vehicles, will spawn on all maps (excludes snow vehicles).
• All vehicles now spawn with a full tank of gas.
• Default car spawns now have a low chance to spawn a glider instead.
• Dirt Bikes now spawn in groups of two in duos, and four in squads.
• Each map will have one rare world spawn armored UAZ.
• Mountain Bike volume greatly reduced.
• Volume of rolling vehicles with engine cut slightly increased.

Gunplay

Starting in update 35.1, all normal ground loot guns will spawn on all maps.

• All boxes of 15 rounds of ammo have been replaced with boxes of 30.
• ARs and SMGs will now always spawn a minimum of two boxes of ammo.
• Players can now switch between weapons while driving. Previously drivers could not switch back from a pistol once selected.
• Update: Reduced SMG limb damage multiplier to ensure a more realistic gunplay experience.

Panzerfaust

• Panzerfaust is now unique to Karakin (no longer ground loot on other maps).

Win94

• Damage increased from 66 → 72
• Time required for lever action from 0.6s → 1.3s

VSS

• The VSS now spawns with iron sights and can be equipped with any optic.

Flare Gun

• There is now no limited supply of air drops or BRDMs.

Dev's comment:  This gunplay update brings a few very big changes. First, we are removing the panzerfaust from most maps. Although this is an exciting weapon, player feedback has been mostly negative. One of our main focuses in this update is to reward skill and reduce randomness, hence the removal of the panzer. Our analytics have indicated that the Win94 is rarely used. This damage increase will allow it to one-shot level two helmets, so we’re hoping it will get more use as it will now be similar to bolt action rifles. For the flare gun, there were many instances where the flare didn’t result in any sort of drop. We’ve made adjustments so that there will always be either an airdrop or a BRDM! Finally, we found that the VSS is another underutilized weapon. We hope that allowing players to equip a red dot or scope of choice will allow for more gameplay opportunities, specifically in close quarters. We look forward to seeing how these changes impact your experience on the Battlegrounds!

Melee Weapons

We’re adding a few changes to melee weapons to make each one more unique!

Machete

• Base damage increased from 60 → 90.

Sickle

• Damage increased from 66 → 72

Crowbar

• Locked cabinets have been added to all maps.

Dev's comment:  Our goal with these changes is create more of a choice when picking a melee weapon. Historically, the pan has been the best choice for its iconic ability to stop bullets. Now the machete will do significantly more damage than other melee weapons. The sickle can get rid of foliage, especially useful for helping while prone. The crowbar will give extra looting opportunities. The choice is yours!

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World

• Emergency Pickups are now limited to three world spawns per map (same as flare guns).
• Red Zones have been temporarily removed from the game.

Dev's comment:  We’ve found that emergency pickups are being used too frequently. As we try to bridge the gap between competitive and casual gameplay, we want to encourage players to rotate by other means since the emergency pickup is seen as a ‘free rotation’. This will also result in more player interactions. Likewise, red zones have been removed to promote more fair and balanced gameplay. Please continue to provide us with feedback on these changes!

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Ranked/Leaderboard Rework

Update 35.1 is bringing back the original early access leaderboard system! Current ranked will be removed, and major incentives/rewards will be added for leaderboards.

We realize this is a major change, so we are releasing a dedicated dev letter next week with all of the details.

Dev's comment:  Although this will be covered in next week’s dev letter, we want to give a brief explanation here. Our goal with this rework is to try and help bridge the gap between the competitive and casual sides of PUBG. Additionally, we have encountered problems in all regions with having too many available queues. This change will help consolidate the player base, resulting in better queue times and a more unified experience. Normal matches will now use esports settings but will still have the 100 player battle royale experience players are used to. There will also be a robust reward system for each leaderboard season mainly focused on weapon skins. Stay tuned!

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Battlegrounds Cup

What is the Battlegrounds Cup?

• The Battlegrounds Cup is a bi-weekly, automated tournament held Tuesdays and Saturdays where all players can participate.
• Modes will alternate between FPP solo, duo, and squad.
• Earn Seed Points during the Qualifiers to advance to the Group Stage.
• Depending on the number of seed points obtained, you will be able to advance to the Group Stage/Finals.
• Prove your skills, incorporate creative tactics, and engage in teamwork with your squad members to win the tournament!
• The winner of the tournament will gain prize money, G-Coin, or both!

Tournament Details

• The Battlegrounds Cup is divided into Qualifiers/Group Stage/Finals. The last standing team in the finals will be selected as the final winner.
• You can earn seed points by playing tournament matches during the Qualifiers/Group Stage.
• Teams advancing to the next round will be decided by the total number of seed points obtained after the end of the Group Stage.
• You can apply for the Battlegrounds Cup at survival level 100 or beyond.

Regional Schedules

• The Battlegrounds Cup starts in the evening for each region. Please check the detailed schedule in game once patch 35.1 goes live.

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Bug Fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where part of the Kar98k's model is abnormally displayed.
• Fixed an issue where the animation plays abnormally after equipping and immediately unequipping the Panzerfaust.
• Fixed an issue where the Panzerfaust is held abnormally when immediately holding it after unequipping.
• Fixed an issue where two Panzerfaust bodies momentarily appear when discarding the launcher body after firing.
• Fixed an issue where the Rectangle Blue Zone settings in Custom Match are not working as they did previously.
• Fixed an issue where a character standing on the hood of a vehicle with the "Urus S" SUV skin equipped does not fall off while the vehicle is moving.
• Fixed an issue where, under certain conditions, preset slots remain active until immediately before boarding the plane.
• Fixed an issue where reviving a player fails and causes the timer to loop.
• Fixed an issue where, under certain conditions, part of the aiming animation while riding a vehicle is skipped, allowing faster shooting than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the weight of the Sticky Bomb is incorrectly set.
• Fixed an issue where the airplane sound is played on the starting island in the Intense Battle Royale mode.
• (PC) Fixed an issue where, when spectating a Win Streak Showdown opponent, the Page Up/Down keys do not function properly after the opponent is eliminated.

World

• Fixed an issue where the Red Zone is occasionally generated in abnormal locations on Erangel, Deston, or Sanhok.

UX/UI

• Fixed an issue where the description is missing when selecting owned medals in the Profile - Edit Profile - Medal tab.
• Fixed an issue where a team join message displays upon returning to the lobby after playing in a pre-made team.
• Fixed an issue where both the compass and the player HP bars display simultaneously on the spectator screen in the 1v1 Arena.
• Fixed a translation error in the Female Face 7 item name in the Traditional Chinese language setting.
• Fixed an issue where the sound effect is missing when clicking the "View Probabilities" button in the Hideout - Contraband - More Details page.
• Fixed an issue where characters are not displayed properly when viewing the profiles of players who have not logged in since Update 32.1.
• (PC) Fixed an issue where the dollar sign displays in a different color on the G-COIN purchase screen in the Store.

Items & Skins

※ Clipping issue: Graphics that are shown outside the visible part of an image/object.

• Fixed the clipping issue that occurs on the ankles when wearing certain outfits and shoes together.
• Fixed the clipping issue when the female character wears a certain outfit and headbands together.
• Fixed the clipping issue on the wrists when the female character wears Hunter's Gloves.
• Fixed an issue where the ankles turn transparent when the female character wears 17SHOU's Leggings and certain shoes together.
• Fixed an issue where the ankles turn transparent when the female character wears the Cavalier Jeans and Spurdogs Basketball Shoes together.
• Fixed an issue where the ZERO-G Heavy Grade Jacket blocks the screen in certain situations when equipped.
• Fixed the clipping issue when equipping certain Custom Lobby skins after wearing the Happy Hibernation Shoes.
• Fixed an issue where the Lonesome Lover Hoodie obstructs the view when aiming with certain weapons.
• Fixed an issue where the ankles turn transparent when wearing the Lipovka Slacks and ZERO-G Medium Grade Boots together.
• Fixed the clipping issue on the wrists when the female character wears certain jackets and gloves together.
• Fixed an issue where part of the hair is missing when wearing Hairstyle 65 with certain hats.
• Fixed an issue where part of the hat is missing when wearing the Floral Jeonmo with certain outfits.
• Fixed the clipping issue when the female character wears the PGC 2022 Tac-Tech Shirt and Douyu Biker Jacket together.
• Fixed the clipping issue when the male character wears the Doomsday Hoodie.
• Fixed the clipping issue when wearing the PAI 2019 Jacket and Ali the Fox Peach Gloves together.
• Fixed an issue where the hair color changes to the default color when returning to the lobby after accessing the Pass page.
• (PC) Fixed an issue where items can be crafted in the Workshop without consuming currency.