Welcome back Survivors!

This update brings new ways to show who you truly are. Season 4 continues in Update 4.3 with a new progression system to improve your non-lethal play skills, Survival Mastery. The Shotgun family got some special attention this patch with a slight rebalance and Care Packages are now dropping a new bundle of joy, the DBS. Be warned, waking this baby will result in more than just sleepless nights.

"Develop your not-so-killer instincts."

We are excited to introduce the Survival Mastery system, where players can develop their less-than-lethal aspects of PUBG gameplay. This companion system to Weapon Mastery, which allows players to progress their skill in gunplay, will also introduce new ways for players to express their personalities on the Battlegrounds with new rewards and PUBG ID.

• Survival Mastery is a new progression system where players increase levels by gaining XP based on the players' survival patterns
  
• The system operates all the time without being affected by seasons. The Level cap for Survival Mastery is 500
  
• Players can earn XP in the following situations:
  
  • Looting
    
  • Using items during combat
    
  • Combat
    
  • Reviving a teammate

Match summary timeline

• The match summary timeline recaps all survival actions performed in a match
  
• Players can check survival actions they have performed in their previous match in a timeline sequence from Mastery > Last Match Tab

• The activities below will be shown in the timeline, along with other XP earning activities
  
  • Landing point
    
  • Location where players perform certain actions
    
  • Damage dealt and received
    
  • Distance a player travels using vehicles
    
  • Surviving Blue Zone phases

Survival style showing players' playstyle

• In Mastery > Survival tab, players can check their recent survival playstyle from the analysis of all players' data

• Survival style tracks your recent playstyle by analyzing data of all the players playing PUBG. It includes the following information:
  
  • Average engagement length
    
  • Average engagement distance
    
  • Items looted per game
    
  • Distance traveled per game
    
  • Hot drop rate
    
  • Damage taken per game
• The 3 most prominent of these traits will be displayed

Players can express themselves through their PUBG ID

• A new system where players can express themselves while show their progression and Survival Mastery rewards
  
• PUBG ID includes Survival Mastery Level, Player ID, Emblem, Background, and Poses
  
  • A summary and detailed recap are available
• Players can view and change from Mastery > Survival tab
  
• Players are able to view other player's PUBG ID in the following case
  
  • Teammate from the previous match
    
  • Player you killed and the player who killed you

Emblems

• For every 10 levels (5, 15, 25…), players are rewarded an emblem
  
• Players can express themselves with various emblems on their PUBG ID

Backgrounds

• For every 10 levels (10, 20, 30...), players are rewarded a background
  
• Players can express their identity with different backgrounds on their PUBG ID

Poses

• For every 100 levels (100, 200, 300...), players are rewarded a pose
  
• Poses are the highest reward in the system and players can change their pose using the Survivor tab and PUBG ID
  
• Player poses utilize the player's equipped clothing
  
  • Other skins such as vehicles and weapons aren't currently utilized for poses

BP Rewards

• BP will be granted for levels without other rewards

"The DPS on the DBS is OMG!"

• The DBS is a double barrel pump-action bullpup shotgun that can only be initially obtained from Care Packages
  
• DBS has two internal magazine tubes that allow the user to load up to fourteen 12-gauge rounds
  
  • Thanks to those combined firing mechanics, DBS can produce massive bursts of damage in a short time span
• Upper rail of the gun allows a Holographic, Red Dot Sight, and 2x to 6x Scopes
  
• Maximum effective range to deal damage with the DBS is 100 m

"Two in the front, two in the back, and we don't look back."

• Improved shotgun consistency
  
  • Hit probability increased, especially in medium shotgun range
    
  • Damage drop-off over distance increased
    
  • Minimum per pellet damage within effective range of each shotgun increased to 4
    
    • Except the Sawed-Off, which is 3
      
    • All shotguns fire 9 pellets total per round
• Adjusted shotgun balance
  
  • All shotgun pellets now use more realistic ballistic curves (speed decrease over time)
    
  • All shotguns had their recoil effects updated
    
  • Damage multiplier changes
    
    • Headshot: From 1.5 to 1.2
      
    • Torso: From 1.0 to 0.9
  • S686
    
    • Maximum effective range set to 80 m
      
    • Increased reload speed by 20%
  • S1897
    
    • Maximum effective range set to 80 m
      
    • Pump action speed increased by 20%
      
    • Pump action will no longer temporarily un-ADS the player
  • Sawed-Off
    
    • Maximum effective range set to 80 m
      
    • Maximum increased probability range set to 50 m
      
    • Increased number of pellets fired to 9
      
    • Decreased damage per pellet from 22 to 20
  • Duckbill attachment: Pellet spread multiplier increased from 0.8 to 1.0
• Updated weapon impact effects
  
  • Both decals and particle effects are now more directional allowing players to better understand the direction shots are coming from
    
  • Size and characteristics of the effect depend on both the surface being hit and the class of the weapon being fired
• QoL improvement for healing items while walking
  
  • Healing items can now be activated while moving and your player will be reduced to walking speed and continue using the item while you move at walking pace
    
    • Previously, you had to come to a complete stop to start healing
• Canted Sight reticle type can now be adjusted, along with brightness, similar to the Red Dot

• Reduced the volume of the Red Zone
  
• Footstep sounds volume and attenuation have been re-balanced
  
• Footstep sounds will be more drastically reduced when players move to the outer limit of footstep audible range
  
• Different sound effects are played when landing from falling, dependent to the surface material type
  
• Made improvements to the ledge-grab sound effects
  
• For more information on the sound improvement plans, please go to the following link: Dev Letter: Sound Improvement Plan
  
• Added a new song to the Turntable
  
  • The new song will replace the previous song

• The current season of both the Survivor Pass and Survivor Title System will end on October 16th KST
  
• Survivor Pass: Starting October 2nd, two weeks before the end period of Aftermath, there will be an on-screen message, pop-up and countdown on the Survivor Pass banner in the lobby to notify players of the pass end timing
  
  • A pop-up message displayed will be displayed to users purchasing Premium Pass and Level-up items, alerting them of the time left until pass end
• Premium Pass and Level-up items can be purchased until the Pass period ends

• Added background blur effects to make the duo/squad team UI have better readability
  
• Improved visibility of the fire mode indicator on the HUD to further differentiate firing modes
  
• Decreased brightness of equipment icons

• Added headphone icon to the UI right of the health HUD to indicate when the Instant Volume Reducer (F7) is enabled
  
  • A system message at the bottom of the screen has also been added when activating/deactivating this function

• Minor performance optimizations that will improve FPS in areas where many players are in close proximity to one another
  
• Made visual improvements to shadows and enhanced rendering performance
  
• Deployed change to live servers which mitigates an issue which can cause loot to appear late, mainly after landing from your parachute.
  
  • Dev Note: As this change increases server load, we will closely monitor any potential negative impact this may have to the player experience. Please share feedback on your experience with us through official platforms.

Improved Zombie Mode


The days of slow, weak zombies are over! Custom match Zombie modes are getting the following improvements:

• Zombies now have stronger physical capabilities
  
  • Zombies can run faster, jump higher, and attack much faster
    
    • Increased the running speed by 1.5 times
      
    • Increased the jumping height by 2 times
      
    • Increased the speed of attacks by 1.5 times
  • Zombies now have much more health and stronger healing power
    
    • Increased strength by more than 2 times
      
    • Can recover health automatically when they are not engaged in combat
      
    • No fall damage when falling from high locations
      
    • Receive less damage from guns, except for headshots
  • Zombies can now drive vehicles
    
    • Zombies can now move around using vehicles instead of simply running on foot
• Moreover, we are developing a virus infection feature, which is one of the core elements of PUBG Zombie (PUBZ) content. Internal tests are ongoing for various features to make the  zombie mode matches more diverse and exciting. We look forward to your feedback on the improved zombie mode

PUBG Partner Icon

• In Custom Matches, an icon will be displayed in front PUBG Partner's nicknames. This icon will only be shown in the match information section and waiting room

Implemented a system to prioritize matching players who speak the same language together in Duo and Squad mode

• Due to this change, it may be more likely to occasionally be placed on a team of only 2 or 3 players when playing Squads.

Dev Note: We're making this change in response to player feedback and frustration to being placed in a Squad with players who speak a different language, making it difficult to communicate properly. For many players, this change will not be noticeable, but in regions such as Europe, with multiple countries in close proximity speaking many different languages, we expect ease of communication to be noticeably improved. As the goal of this change is to improve your gameplay experience, please share your feedback and let us know your thoughts. We will actively monitor player feedback and make additional changes if required.

The following items are now available in the store:

• Halloween themed items
  
  • Sales Period: 9/25 ~ 11/13
• 12 new Twitch Broadcast Royale items
  
  • Sales Period: 9/25 ~ 10/15
• 3 Pan skins and 1 set celebrating the PUBG Classic
  
  • Sales Period: 10/2 ~ 10/23
• New BP purchasable items
  
  • Beryl & S12K BattleStat skins
    
  • 2 Madsy shoes
• New BattleStat skin
  
  • SCAR-L BattleStat skin
• Reduced the probability of receiving a locked crate from the random crate purchase by 50%

• The replay system has been updated. Replay files from previous updates are now unavailable for use

• Fixed an issue where character footsteps cannot be heard when walking backwards against corners of objects
  
• Fixed an issue where the smoke UI timer doesn't sync correctly when the replay is skipped in replay mode
  
• Fixed an issue where the Flare Gun firing animation is obscured when in the prone position
  
• Fixed an issue where grenade damage in rare situations could be received through objects
  
• Fixed an issue where an incorrect kill distance was shown when a disconnected player is killed
  
• Fixed an issue where UAZ wheels wouldn't get destroyed after being punched multiple times
  
• Fixed an issue where skull icons are incorrectly displayed on the minimap in Simplified Chinese language version
  
• Fixed an issue which caused an excessively bright light effect in the side mirror of motorcycles
  
• Fixed an issue where players could not be damaged by other players punching them inside vehicles
  
• Fixed an issue where parachutes were not displayed in training mode with a fully equipped bag
  
• Fixed an issue where players are forcibly removed from training mode when vaulting over a certain wall
  
• Fixed an issue where zombie players occasionally appear to be human in zombie mode
  
• Fixed an issue where the lung capacity icon does wouldn't display correctly when holding breath while swimming
  
• Fixed an issue which prevented footstep sounds from playing in specific situations when running through certain puddles

Welcome back Battlegrounds Survivors,

Last year, the PUBG Mastery Team was formed to create a cohesive progression system in PUBG. We heard players and fans loud and clear when they said they wanted more ways to track their gameplay and the improvements they make as players. In April, we released the first feature under our new progression initiative: Weapon Mastery. We’re thrilled by your warm reception of this initiative and are excited to announce the next segment of our progression system: Survival Mastery, coming to PC test servers tomorrow!

Survival Mastery is a progression feature designed as a companion system to Weapon Mastery. Where Weapon Mastery is all about your proficiency in combat, Survival Mastery focuses on your story as a player. In other words, our goal with this system is to help you recognize your own abilities and reward your success after each match. You get to decide what kind of player you’re going to be.


The Survivor Level cap for the first version of Survival Mastery is 500.

The first thing you should notice in this system is your Survivor Level. Surviving bluezone phases, performing key actions and, well, just staying alive all play a role in how much XP you’ll earn towards your next Level. The better you perform, the faster you’ll progress.

Just like Weapon Mastery, all progress related to Survivor Mastery can be found in the Mastery menu under its own tab.


In addition to displaying your level progress in this tab, you can also track your recent playstyle through the trait system. Are you the type to pick up every bit of loot you see or a bit more picky about what goes into your inventory? Traits paint a picture of how you approach 6 different aspects of PUBG and the 3 most prominent of those traits are displayed here. Below is a more detailed breakdown of all trait and style possibilities in Survival Mastery:




With the release of Survival Mastery, we’re also excited to introduce the PUBG ID as a new way to express yourself and your achievements. All the rewards you unlock in Survival Mastery open up new options for customizing your PUBG ID. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the things you can unlock for your ID:


At launch, you’ll be able to view the IDs of your teammates and the enemies you killed on the last match screen. In the future, we’ll be working to add more sharing functionality and customization to the PUBG ID. We’re eager to hear feedback on what types of things you’d want included on your ID.

We’re also adding a couple new tabs to the last match screen to help you better track your progress from match to match. First up is the new summary tab that provides high level information about your progression and performance. If you’re a fan of squads or duos, you will also be able to track survival stats from your teammates as well.


Also new in the Last Match screen is the survival timeline. With the survival timeline, we’re giving you a detailed recap of all the survival actions performed in a match. Survival actions include but are not limited to combat, looting and healing.


You may also notice many of the survival actions in your timeline are grouped by something called engagements. Engagements in PUBG are a period of time where you experience uninterrupted combat with one or many opponents. In addition to tracking the start and end of an engagement, we’ve also included a summary of the damage given and received over each engagement period. At the end of the match, you’ll be able to see who you killed in each engagement and who took you to the shed*.

There’s a lot of info to unpack in the survival timeline beyond what we’ve covered here so be sure to check it out and let us know where we can improve.

With the launch of Survival Mastery and the continued evolution of Weapon Mastery, we have the first key pieces of our overall progression features. We are still actively building the next pillar of our Mastery plans and look forward to sharing more details of that roadmap soon. As always we appreciate the partnership our team has built with the fans and community and look forward to your feedback around our progression endeavors.

The Mastery Team’s mission is to celebrate your journey in PUBG by helping you build your own identity while leaving your mark on the Battlegrounds. We’re just getting started, so look forward to more details on new additions soon! Survival Mastery will be available on test servers tomorrow and hitting live servers next week.

See you on the Battlegrounds,
PUBG Mastery Team


*It’s a proverbial shed where you died.

There’s a new look on Erangel, so how about a new look for your costume skin. New streamer skins are available in the store as part of our Broadcaster Royale skins. This round features 5 more of your favorite Twitch streamers that bring it on The Battlegrounds.

Skins are available for between $2.99-$9.99 each and can be purchased through the game client until Sep 10, 2019 PST before the server maintenance starts. Each sale directly benefits the Twitch streamer, so pick up your favorite skins and support them in-game and out!

This group’s streamers: