Nov 6, 2018

Get Ready for the 2019 Season of PUBG Esports

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS - Valor

TL;DR:

In 2019, there will be nine independent regions, each with its own series of pro competitions – North America (NPL), Europe (PEL), Korea (PKL), China, Japan (PJS), Chinese Taipei/Hong Kong/Macao, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.
All regional pro competitions will begin and end within the same windows called “phases,” which will take place three times a season.
All of the nine pro regions will be given an opportunity to send their top-performing teams to the Global Championship at the end of the season, which will have a prize pool of at least 2 million dollars.
At the midpoint in the season, we will host the All-Star Games to bring together the most popular players from all over the world for a weekend full of fun exhibition matches.
We are in discussions with industry-leading third-party organizers to create other unique global events during breaks between phases, where best teams from each phase will compete internationally.
All regional and global pro competitions will adopt the universal ruleset for 2019 – FPP, 16 teams per game, 4-person squads, Erangel & Miramar, unified points system, and unified in-game settings.

Hey Everyone,

PUBG esports is about to get serious. Starting next year, we’re introducing official pro competitions in nine different regions around the globe. We’ll also be hosting numerous global events throughout the year, including the All-Star Games in August and the Global Championship in November where the #1 team of the season will be crowned. Read below to find out more!

Nine Pro Regions

In 2019, PUBG will recognize nine independent pro regions around the globe. Each region will have its own series of pro competitions that will bring the top regional talent together and give birth to the local champions.

There will be 6 regions with a “pro league” structure: North America (National PUBG League; NPL), Europe (PUBG Europe League; PEL), Korea (PUBG Korea League; PKL), China, Japan (PUBG Japan Series; PJS), and Chinese Taipei/Hong Kong/Macao. Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Oceania will have a “pro circuit” structure with a series of tournaments instead.

Globally Aligned Calendar

Aligning the competitive calendar across all regions is critical for building a season-long narrative with distinct periods designated for local competitions and regular season breaks that enable sufficient time for global events featuring top teams from each region.

The 2019 season will be divided into three phases throughout the year. Phase 1 will begin in late January and last until the end of March. Phase 2 will begin in early May and end in June. Phase 3 will start in mid-August and end in mid-October. All regional pro competitions will take place during these predetermined phases.

Global Events

Between Phase 2 and Phase 3, at the midpoint of the season, we will be hosting the All-Star Games. The most popular pro PUBG players from all over the world will be invited to a series of exhibition matches that will be differentiated from other competitions by their casual and entertainment-focused nature.

At the end of the 2019 season, we will be hosting the Global Championship, which will feature the best teams from each region who will duke it out for the ultimate chicken dinner. All nine pro regions will have an opportunity to send their regional representatives to this final showdown. The winner of the Global Championship will be crowned the undisputed champion of the entire season and take home a million dollars in prize money. We are exploring the possibility of adding other bonuses on top of the initial prize pool of 2 million dollars; more details will follow in the coming weeks.

We are also currently in discussions with industry-leading third-party organizers with the goal of creating other unique global events during breaks between phases, where the best teams from each phase will compete internationally. Stay tuned for more details about these global partner events.

Universal Ruleset

From the feedback we received, one of the greatest pain points for professional players and viewers alike in 2018 has been the discrepancy in the rulesets adopted by different tournament organizers. The wild variance in the esports rules prevented players from scaling up their skills and strategies efficiently, and forced viewers to learn how to watch the games every time a different event took place.

2019 will see all pro competitions, whether regional or global, third-party or first-party, adhere to a standardised, universal set of rules. Every pro competition will place 16 squads on Erangel and Miramar in first-person perspective mode only. There will also be unified settings for esports games with unique blue zone settings and item drop rates for ultra-competitive play. Every event will also follow the same points system, which is being re-designed to find the perfect balance between competitive gameplay and an entertaining viewing experience.

More details on each regional competition and global events will follow in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Nov 6, 2018

The Joker and Harley Quinn are coming to PUBG

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

PUBG Corp and DC have teamed up to cram The Joker and Harley Quinn into PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, at least as skins. This version of the deranged duo is from the fascinatingly awful Suicide Squad.

So far, PUBG Corp has only announced the pair of skins, which you can see in action in the trailer. The Joker skin is, much like its cinematic counterpart, an acquired taste. Harley also has her trademark baseball bat, however, suggesting that new weapons or weapon skins are also coming.

The collaboration obviously invites comparisons with Fortnite’s Avengers crossover. It introduced a temporary game mode that let players become nasty Thanos, the Mad Titan, and cause a bit of havoc. This one isn't nearly as timely, however, since Suicide Squad came out in 2016, but it perhaps makes more sense than a Justice League crossover. While Suicide Squad was not well received, it was at least considered a box office success, unlike Justice League.

The Joker and Harley will be appearing “soon”, and with winter fast approaching, we’ll hopefully be able to take the skins for a spin on PUBG’s upcoming snow map. Speaking of which, here’s what we know so far about Dihor Otok.

Oct 25, 2018

Limited Time Broadcaster Royale Twitch Streamer Skins: Group 3

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS - Valor

Hey Everyone,

PUBG and Twitch are teaming up once again to bring you the third group of Broadcaster Royale items, featuring some of your favorite Twitch streamer gear! This group of skins will be available for $4.99 each until November 15th at 7pm Pacific and can be purchased through the game client, Steam, or directly from each streamer via their channel’s extension. Each sale directly benefits the Twitch streamer, so pick up your favorite skins and support them in-game and out!

This group’s streamers:

Ashek, BURGAOfps, CyanidePlaysGames, DiegoSimoura, Fugglet, Halifax, JB_Sniper, JennaJulien, Lil_Lexi, magalzaoshow, MisterMV, P4wnyhof, SkipNhO, SNAILKICKtm, SPYGEA, Xargon0731

NOTE: If you are having issues making purchases through the in-game store, make sure Steam and PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS each have the Steam In-game Overlay turned on.

Steam: Settings -> In-Game Tab -> Make sure "Enable Steam Overlay while in-game" is checked.

PUBG: Library -> Right-click PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS and select Properties -> Under the General tab, make sure "Enable Steam Overlay while in-game" is checked.

Oct 25, 2018

PUBG's 'One Gun Warrior' event mode removes weapon spawns from Erangel

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

My valiant attempt at fists-only victory in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds went up in smoke. Perhaps I'll fare better in this week's limited-time event mode, which also asks players to commit to one method of attack. The catch? It removes weapon spawns from the map entirely.

One Gun Warrior sets players loose on Erangel with just one firearm. You'll scavenge for ammo and supplies, but no weapons spawn throughout the match. You can however relieve fallen enemies of their arsenal, but can equally commit to whichever gun you've been sent in with.

Set to run from today at 7pm PDT / 3am BST tomorrow, through the same times on October 28 / 29, One Gun Warrior will operate third-person perspective only. With 100 players, it's a solo mode exclusive with weather locked at sunny.

According to this Steam Community post, here's the mode's weapon kit spawns:

[SR] AWM with 4x Scope, Compensator, QuickDraw Mag, and Cheek Pad
[LMG] M249 with 3x Scope
[DMR] MK14 with Suppressor, QuickDraw Mag, and 2x Scope
[AR] Groza with Suppressor, Extended Mag, and Holographic Sight
[SMG] UMP with Flash Hider, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight, Extended QuickDraw Mag, Level 1 Vest, and Level 1 Helmet
[HR] Win94 with Bullet Loops, Level 2 Vest, and Level 2 Helmet
[SG] S686 with Choke, Bullet Loops, Level 2 Vest, and Level 2 Helmet
[Pistol] P18C with Suppressor, Laser Sight, Extended QuickDraw Mag, Red Dot Sight, Level 3 Vest, and Level 3 Helmet
[Melee] Frying Pan, Level 3 Vest, Level 3 Helmet, and Ghillie Suit
[Throwable] Ten Frag Grenades
[ETC] Crossbow with 6x Scope, Quiver, Level 3 Vest, Level 3 Helmet, and Ghillie Suit
[ETC] Flare gun (Items from flare gun airdrops follow the normal flare gun loot rules)

Following last week's PC 1.0 Update #23 PC, PUBG has added a number of UI tweaks and bug fixes. The sum of those can be perused at the foot of this post.

Oct 24, 2018

Event Mode: One Gun Warrior

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS - Valor

Event Cancelled

Unfortunately, this week's Event Mode has been cancelled to an issue caused when updating the live servers in preparation for this event.

We sincerely apologize to players who are disappointed by the event cancellation, who were looking forward to playing the Event Mode this week.

More information: https://twitter.com/PUBG_help/status/1055430066803539968

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Lock and load warrior, because this week’s event mode puts your skills with a single weapon to the test! In One Gun Warrior, you’ll start out with a weapon kit immediately upon drop. You’ll have to scavenge ammo and other supplies, but no weapons spawn in the world! Kill others to take their weapons or make it through the round with your own.

Possible Weapon Kits:

[SR] AWM with 4x Scope, Compensator, QuickDraw Mag, and Cheek Pad
[LMG] M249 with 3x Scope
[DMR] MK14 with Suppressor, QuickDraw Mag, and 2x Scope
[AR] Groza with Suppressor, Extended Mag, and Holographic Sight
[SMG] UMP with Flash Hider, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight, Extended QuickDraw Mag, Level 1 Vest, and Level 1 Helmet
Win94 with Bullet Loops, Level 2 Vest, and Level 2 Helmet
[SG] S686 with Choke, Bullet Loops, Level 2 Vest, and Level 2 Helmet
[Pistol] P18C with Suppressor, Laser Sight, Extended QuickDraw Mag, Red Dot Sight, Level 3 Vest, and Level 3 Helmet
[Melee] Frying Pan, Level 3 Vest, Level 3 Helmet, and Ghillie Suit
[Throwable] Ten Frag Grenades
[ETC] Crossbow with 6x Scope, Quiver, Level 3 Vest, Level 3 Helmet, and Ghillie Suit
[ETC] Flare gun (Items from flare gun airdrops follow the normal flare gun loot rules)

Acquirable items from world spawn:

Ammunition
Medical items
Backpacks
Gas Can

EVENT SCHEDULE

STARTS: Oct 25, 7pm PDT / Oct 26, 4am CEST / Oct 26, 11am KST
ENDS: Oct 28, 7pm PDT / Oct 29, 4am CEST / Oct 29, 11am KST

QUEUES

TPP Only (This is to help balance out the different kits since there can be so much variance.)

RULES

100 Players, in a free-for-all Battle Royale, will fight on Erangel.
This Event Mode will be open in TPP only.
Players will be given a random weapon kit at the start of the match with attachments, but without any ammunition.
Weapons will not spawn as world loot; win with your given weapon, or take them from others!

OTHER EVENT RULES

Solo mode only
Weather is set to Sunny
Red zones are enabled
General care packages are disabled
Killer Spectating is enabled

Oct 24, 2018

PUBG confirms new Halloween-themed 'Survival Squad of Horrors' skins

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

Last week, PUBG prepared for Halloween by teasing Silent Hill-style nurses and Pennywise-like clowns. It's now rolled out a host of scary skins, billed as the 'Survival Squad of Horrors'.

This promo poster looks pretty cool:

"Frightfully fun Halloween costumes are coming to PUBG," reads this Steam Community post. "Starting after maintenance, you can pick up the Killer Clown, Maniacal Butcher, Ancient Mummy, and Bloody Nurse costumes in the PUBG store. Each set will be sold in individual pieces or as a crate at a reduced price, with the Maniacal Butcher costume available for 10,000 BP.

"We also want to see your best PUBG IRL pictures this Halloween! Going out in a PUBG costume? Carving a level 3 pumpkin? Putting out a supply crate candy dish? Post your pics to @PUBG on Twitter or to Reddit and we’ll share them out. We may even send a special treat to the ones we really like! Just remember to always put safety first."

Check out the Squad lineup in full at the end of this scare-filled cinematic:

With the aforementioned Halloween picture-sharing campaign in mind, I liked this Twitter person's pumpkin:

Oct 23, 2018

PUBG Halloween Skins Now Available!

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS - Valor

Frightfully fun Halloween costumes are coming to PUBG!

Starting after maintenance, you can pick up the Killer Clown, Maniacal Butcher, Ancient Mummy, and Bloody Nurse costumes in the PUBG store. Each set will be sold in individual pieces or as a crate at a reduced price, with the Maniacal Butcher costume available for 10,000 BP. Keep an eye on the PUBG Twitter account this week for details on how you can win one of these costumes in our upcoming screenshot contest.

We also want to see your best PUBG IRL pictures this Halloween! Going out in a PUBG costume? Carving a level 3 pumpkin? Putting out a supply crate candy dish? Post your pics to @PUBG on Twitter or to Reddit and we’ll share them out. We may even send a special treat to the ones we really like! Just remember to always put safety first.

To help all players celebrate, the Haunted Pumpkin Mask will be available in the store for only 10 BP from now until November 1st at 7pm PDT. Log in and grab your free(ish) mask before it's gone!

Suit up into something scary and haunt your foes on the Battlegrounds this Halloween!

NOTE: If you are having issues making purchases through the in-game store, make sure Steam and PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS each have the Steam In-game Overlay turned on.

Steam: Settings -> In-Game Tab -> Make sure "Enable Steam Overlay while in-game" is checked.

PUBG: Library -> Right-click PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS and select Properties -> Under the General tab, make sure "Enable Steam Overlay while in-game" is checked.