Sex: Male Blood Type: O+ Languages Spoken: English
Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. Joined US Marine Corps at 18. Served 3 tours in Iraq. Honorably discharged after sustaining critical injuries from an improvised explosive device in [REDACTED]. Divorced from his pregnant wife soon after returning home. Contracted for private security work for [REDACTED] based in St. Petersburg. Arrested and sentenced to life in [REDACTED]after killing [REDACTED] in a drunken bar fight.
RELEVANT SKILLS: Mr. Slade has extensive military and combat training. Skilled in the use of most standard issue weapons and explosive devices. Strong leadership skills. Tactical analysis under pressure. Despite incarceration has maintained good physical conditioning.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Initial interviews suggest a longing to return home to meet his daughter for the first time.
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COMBATANT #14
Operative Report S20
Name: Pavel Dvořák
Known Aliases: Lunchmeat
Date of Birth: March 11th, 1977
Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Hair color: Bald
Eye color: Brown
Marital Status: Single
Children: Unknown Height: 190cm Weight: 100kg
Sex: Male Blood Type: B- Languages Spoken: English, Czech
Born in Prague, Czech Republic. Extremely aggressive personality. Several years spent as a professional bodybuilder before moving to boxing. Banned from the Czech Boxing Association after refusing to wear gloves during a title bout. Arrested after violent altercation with Czech police over parking ticket. While in prison his violent streak continued. Currently spending 23 hours a day in solitary confinement.
RELEVANT SKILLS: No official weapons training, but highly skilled at hand-to-hand combat. Self-taught. Very comfortable with weapons from time with [REDACTED].
ADDITIONAL INFO: During initial interview he made it very clear he is to only be referred to as Lunchmeat, saying only that “Pavel died a long time ago.” He refuses to explain where his alias comes from.
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COMBATANT #15
Operative Report S20
Name: Julie Skels
Known Aliases: Julie Skeleton, The Butcher of Bucharest
Date of Birth: March 11th, 1993
Country of Origin: Romania
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Blue
Marital Status: Single
Children: None Height: 172cm Weight: 54kg
Sex: Female Blood Type: AB- Languages Spoken: English, Romanian
Abandoned as an infant and raised in an orphanage in Southern Romania. Fled to Bucharest at the age of 14. Convicted of homicide at 15 and placed at [REDACTED] psychiatric hospital. Released at 18. Ms Skels would go on to be dubbed the “Butcher of Bucharest” for the alleged murder of eleven men between the years 2014-2019. During her trial she was reported to have stabbed her own lawyer with a pencil and threatened to defecate on the judge. She is currently serving a life sentence at [REDACTED] correctional facility.
RELEVANT SKILLS: Ms Skels has no formal combat or survival training. The murders she was convicted of were all committed with knives or bladed weapons, however Julie indicated a comfort with firearms during her initial interview. Records from her hospitalization indicate diagnoses of [REDACTED], Oppositional Defiant disorder, and Sociopathic Personality disorder. Further evaluation may be required before combatant is cleared for match.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Broke recruiter’s nose and threatened to defecate on him during initial interview.
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COMBATANT #16
Operative Report S20
Name: Madison Malholtra
Known Aliases: Mad Madison, Mad Mads
Date of Birth: February 14th, 1978
Country of Origin: United States
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Marital Status: Single
Children: None Height: 170cm Weight: 56kg
Sex: Female Blood Type: A+ Languages Spoken: English, Hindi, German
Born to US Navy parents [REDACTED], Malholtra spent her early years on numerous military bases in the United States and later in Germany. Taught to repair engines at the age of 12. Studied engineering at MIT in the United States but dropped out due to financial hardship linked to a medical expense. Used her contacts overseas to negotiate numerous light arms deals, ultimately working for [REDACTED] cartel where she was arrested in a police sting.
RELEVANT SKILLS: Ms Malholtra has trained extensively in the use of light arms and sharpshooting. Highly competent engineer.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Malholtra was involved with a shipment of incendiary weaponry used in the 2016 Karakin Battleground. Upon being jailed, she reached out to [REDACTED] and requested an opportunity to compete.
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Keep an eye on PUBG social channels on the 20th to learn more about the Sanhok 4.
Sound is a topic brought up quite often in the community. We know that sound is extremely important to PUBG gameplay and while our goal has always been to offer a highly immersive, realistic sound environment that is fair to everyone, we have seen some issues along the way. Footstep sound effects have been an especially large undertaking for us. Today we want to talk about footstep sounds in particular, and what we’re doing to improve them for you.
Footstep Issues:
Poor quality footstep sounds on some materials such as soil, sand, and grass.
Unnatural sound changes over distances.
Large acoustic differences between shoes and barefoot.
In particular, when an enemy is barefoot, it makes much less noise from certain distances compared to when they are wearing shoes, making it difficult to pinpoint enemies. While this certainly makes sense realistically, it’s not ideal for the sake of PUBG gameplay.
Your feedback on the above issues has been clear, our current footstep sounds do not give you the info you need to make key decisions while playing. As a result, many players have resorted to cranking their volume to hear these sounds, which can also lead to a negative experience when PUBGs other, louder sound effects kick in.
We tried to implement a fix last Summer, which was deployed a bit too hastily and led to some pushback due to unintended confusion and negative gameplay experiences. As a result, we rolled back these changes and promised we’d be back with changes to the system.
Since then, we’ve been heads down working on a better system and have come up with the following solution for footstep sound effects.
Enhanced quality and defined details
Our previous footstep sounds lacked detailed differences for various ground materials, causing the same sound to be repeatedly produced. This made sound effects dull and unnatural, especially over longer distances.
The updated version produces more detailed sound effects, even on the same materials, compared to the previous version. We’ve also added a variety of random variations to minimize the dull redundancy of footstep sound effects.
Enhanced quality and defined details
Our previous footstep sounds lacked detailed differences for various ground materials, causing the same sound to be repeatedly produced. This made sound effects dull and unnatural, especially over longer distances.
The updated version produces more detailed sound effects, even on the same materials, compared to the previous version. We’ve also added a variety of random variations to minimize the dull redundancy of footstep sound effects.
When trying to create different footstep sounds that vary by distance, we kept the resource itself unchanged but reduced the volume and the bandwidth of high-frequency. Consequently, footstep sounds in mid and long range distances became muffled, lower quality, and more difficult to hear.
We divided distance into two (short and long distances) or three (short, mid, and long distances) depending on the materials and characteristics movement and created a new sound design better suited to them. Thanks to these changes, mid and long range footstep sounds should now be more audible compared to the previous ones.
Minimized auditory gap between going barefoot and wearing shoes
Realism is important for us, but we also believe that fairness in gameplay is one place where there can be exceptions to realism. The huge sound gap between footsteps with and without shoes in the existing sound rules are a big issue. In this case, we skewed realism a bit to make the gameplay feel better.
Our new footstep sounds are generated using a combination of what you’re wearing and how far away you are.
At close distances, footstep sounds will be different depending on if the player is wearing shoes or not, however the volume of the steps has been equalized, giving no advantage to being barefoot.
At mid-to-long distances, the footstep sound will be exactly the same, whether the player is wearing shoes or not.
We feel the above compromises realism enough to make approaching enemies easier to hear, but keeps the realism of the different sounds once they’re close.
This is just a brief overview of the sound improvements we’ve been working on.
We’re still tweaking other sound issues and exploring the proper volume balance between everything from firing to footstep sounds internally. We’ll share another Dev Letter when we’ve settled on our strategy for those. For now, we hope you enjoy the footstep sound updates in Update 8.1. We want you to be able to fully immerse yourself in all aspects of PUBG without a negative sound experience pulling you out and hope this first step helps us towards that goal.
Season 8 is soon here and brings massive changes to the island of Sanhok, a new way to gear up with the Loot Truck, the start of the next Ranked Season, a new Survivor Pass, and loads more. Update 8.1 has plenty to offer, so let’s get right into it!
Live Servers on July 22 – Test Server, July 15 KST.
Sanhok Remaster – Return to Sanhok
The main feature of update 8.1 is of course Sanhok, which has been reworked from the ground up to look better, perform better, and offer more balanced gameplay. We wanted Sanhok to feel more like a forgotten, overgrown paradise while addressing some of the most glaring balance issues we’ve seen over the last couple of years. We’re happy with what we’ve created and hope you are as well. Read on below for some snippets on what we’ve changed in some of the island’s more prominent areas.
Sanhok Season 8 Key landmark changes
Bootcamp
Bootcamp has been completely reworked. We wanted to keep this a hot drop location, while improving the feel and competitive conflict in the area. There is plenty of line of sight for long range engagements but also lots of cover for players to advance on opponents. There are underground areas for aggressive close quarters combat as well. Overall, we feel the changes have amplified the risk vs reward gameplay players want from a hot drop, while giving everyone more options to best approach different situations.
Quarry
The old version of Quarry was a beloved, yet terribly imbalanced experience. We’ve done a lot of work here to make this unique location fun and fair for those who find themselves in it. The stone blocks are now larger to provide better cover from opponents with the high ground and we’ve added some perilous rope bridges to give players more options for crossing without having to go through or around. All in all, Quarry should now be a meaningful destination for players who want long firefights and non-conventional engagements.
Airfield (Previously Mongnai)
We’ve replaced the farm area in the Northeast with a new Airfield. The farm never quite got the attention we were hoping it would, so we’ve added some incentives for players to drop on this part of the island. The main incentive being that the Airfield, perhaps unsurprisingly, now has a chance to spawn the Motor Glider! This is the only place you can find it on Sanhok, so grab a gas can and take to the skies!
Getaway (Previously Docks)
The old docks were fun, but generally were low in the loot department, especially for a drop that far away. Our replacement is the Getaway, a loot packed resort town designed to separate tourists from their money. Featuring poolside bars, a boardwalk, Sanhok’s premiere dance club, there’s plenty of neon haze to go around. Just don’t let it distract you from why you’re there.
Ruins
While the structure of the Ruins itself was always hotly contested, the areas surrounding it posed a severe disadvantage for anyone walking out without the proper gear. We’ve reworked this area to make ruins the massive, labyrinthine, and deadly destination it should be, with plenty of loot for those willing to raid its treasures.
Mountain
The mountainous area in Sanhok certainly make for topographical diversity, but when it came to actual gameplay implications, there were a number of issues here. Players caught up here with the blue zone approaching were left with few options, one of which was jumping and hoping for the best- a few of you have probably been there. The other is the straight up high ground advantage with little to no counterplay for those caught below. With these thoughts in mind, we’ve added additional pathways to reach it, adding some flanking options for the team with the high ground to defend against.
Cave
We’ve redesigned the Cave to have the fiction we’d always wanted it to have. You can still get your thrills through the scariest vertical pool drop in PUBG, but now there’s a cool subterranean temple waiting for you to explore, should you survive the fall.
River
Our main goal with the River was to give players more options to traverse it. Original Sanhok had very few places to cross without diving straight into the water, so we’ve added more bridges for crossing, additional cover on some existing bridges, and more cover on river banks should firefights open up there.
Pai Nan / Khao / Sahmee / Kampong
These towns have all received some reworking, adding verticality, interesting things to explore, new ways to fight, and most importantly, great venues to battle over the new Loot Truck as it passes through each town. In some cases, the changes are minor, such as simply widening the road so the truck can pass through to bigger reworks to create more interesting ways to battle.
Bhan
While a cool locale, Bhan was underused and a pain to loot. We’ve removed Bhan and replaced it with a normal set of houses so that we can focus on using those resources for unique locations elsewhere. Due to the more simplified and familiar building layout, this area should now be a more defensible position to loot and control.
New Feature: Loot Truck
The Loot Truck is a brand new feature that gives players an additional, albeit risky, way to gear up. Trucks spawn in one of several garages around the island and drive along roads, enticing players to attack them. As these trucks take damage, they’ll drop some loot and continue on their way. Players persistent enough to destroy the truck will be rewarded with an even bigger cache of weapons and gear for you and your squad. Be careful when attacking these rolling behemoths, though- they can take a lot of damage and doing so will certainly draw some attention.
Up to four Loot trucks are spawned at the start of the match.
Each truck is spawned separately inside of one the special garages scattered around the map.
When a truck is destroyed, a new truck will be spawned from the garage.
A total of 8 Loot Trucks can spawn in a single match.
The Loot
Loot Trucks can be damaged and destroyed with weapons/throwables.
However, the loot truck takes reduced damage compared to other vehicles, due to its heavy armor.
Small or large lootable containers fall from the Loot Truck as it’s damaged.
Upon being destroyed, Loot Trucks explode and give excess to large amount top tier loot, including possible exclusive weapon loot.
Exclusive weapons are pre-skinned, specially named weapons decked out with attachments.
Loot Trucks do not currently spawn in Ranked Matches.
Sanhok Balance Update
The Remastered Sanhok will feature mostly similar item spawns compared to previous version of Sanhok.
Although there are some changes:
Panzerfaust added to world loot.
Vehicle spawns adjusted, with some removed to facilitate the new Loot Truck routes.
Weather
Remastered Sanhok will feature clear day, sunrise, sunset, and overcast weather types.
In Ranked Mode, clear day will be the only weather type.
(Hotfix on July 24th fixed a bug which allowed other weather types to appear in Sanhok Ranked matches)
Other Changes
Due to the remake of ‘Getaway’ (previously Docks), Docks has been removed from TDM.
Updated Sanhok will be available in both Normal/Ranked matches as well as in Custom matches.
Old Sanhok will be no longer available in all game modes.
New Sanhok themed lobby and BGM has been added.
Adjusted the fade effect of the Blue Zone walls to look more natural.
Survivor Pass: Payback
With the new season comes a new Survivor Pass! Survivor Pass: Payback lets you earn nearly 100 new skins as you explore the remastered island of Sanhok. Complete special missions to unlock unique weapon skins and face paints. We’ve also increased the XP you can earn through playing and surviving, up to 7200 XP per day just by playing the game!
Mission Tab Adjustments
The following 3 mission tabs have been removed:
Community Mission
Progression Mission
Beginner Mission
Changes in Season missions
All mission sets are now available at season launch, rather than the previous system of unlocking new mission tracks on a monthly basis.
Complete all 4 types of Sanhok related missions to earn 4 unique weapon skins
Challenge Mission
These are challenging missions based on survival
They are composed of total 16 missions, with the opportunity to earn you 4 face cover/camo items.
Survivor Pass XP
Players will now be able to acquire more XP proportional to the time survived in normal/ranked matches.
Players can earn approx. 600XP per 1 hour of normal gameplay and up to 7200 XP per day.
Gameplay
Gas Can Improvements
The Gas Can improvements, which were postponed from update 7.2, are now back with some changes!
Changes from 7.2 patch
Spilled fuel was too easy to be spotted making difficult for players to make ambushes.
Fuel now blends much better into the environment making it more difficult to spot.
Fuel now splatters in puddles so once its lit, the flaming area is similar to that of a molotov.
In Training Mode, we have decreased the number of Gas Cans and reduced how often they spawn.
You can now equip Gas Cans in the melee weapon slot.
Press “attack” to pour gas on the ground. It takes around 7 seconds to empty the can.
Spilled fuel can be set on fire with gunshots, molotovs, and grenade explosions.
Fire deals the same damage as a molotov, but burns longer (~20 seconds).
Spilled fuel evaporates in about 3.5 minutes.
You can also throw the Gas Cans the same way as melee weapons (aim, then press attack), which causes it to release some fuel upon landing, making it easier to ignite and explode.
Gas Cans cannot be picked up or reused after being thrown, but can still explode.
Changes to Gas Can explosions:
Deals less initial damage. Max 40 dmg, which scales down with distance from the explosion.
Now sets the nearby area on fire like a molotov, dealing damage over time
Matchmaking Changes – NA, SA, OC Only
Featured Map & Random Map has been enabled.
Featured Map: Sanhok
Random Map: Erangel, Miramar, Vikendi and Karakin FPP/TPP
The featured map option will be available in normal matches until 8.2 update, where it will revert to full random. This may occur earlier, depending on matchmaking times.
Ranked Mode
New Season
A new Ranked Season has begun. Ranked Rewards for Season 7 will be distributed to players shortly after launching into the new season.
Vikendi has been added to the Ranked map pool.
Player ranks have been reset
Players will be given their initial rank after 5 placement matches.
RP has been soft-reset, so your initial Season 8 placement will be influenced by your Season 7 rank.
Leaderboards have been reset
Game Mode Updates
Team placements
RP(Ranked Point) acquired based on players performance will have to account for Team placement rather than individual placement
When a player leaves a match even though teammates are still alive, placement points will be calculated based on the team placement at the very moment when the player leaves the match. If the player decides to stay with the teammates and the team wins the chicken dinner, the player’s placement point will be considered as 1st place.
Bonus kill points
When killing an enemy player whose rank is higher than 5 divisions, (ex. Silver 5 killing Gold 5 player) player will be able to earn a bonus RP.
The greater the difference in rank tiers, the more bonus RP granted to players.
Killing a higher ranked player will grant bonus BP.
RP Growth rate adjustment
In order to have players reach the rank best matching their skills, we have adjusted the RP growth rate 50% greater.
The minimum Survival Mastery level to participate in Ranked Mode has been increased to level 40 (previously level 20).
Ranked Mode Ruleset Update
With Vikendi being added to Ranked Mode, we’ve made some Ranked specific changes to the map and some additional changes across Ranked Mode as a whole.
Vikendi is now playable in Ranked mode.
Vikendi’s Blue Zone has been adjusted to more closely align with Ranked Mode circles.
Red Zone is disabled in Ranked.
Item Spawns
M249 and DBS are now world spawns in small numbers.
Mosin-Nagant is now spawned on Erangel and Vikendi.
A small amount of Crossbows now spawn in the world.
Vehicles
Vehicles can now spawn in the Esports hard spawn locations.
However, in Ranked Mode, there is not a 100% chance they spawn in those locations.
Motor Gliders now spawn in Ranked.
Motor Glider is only spawned on Erangel andMiramar.
Motor Glider will have small amount of fuel ready in the tank upon spawning.
Flare Gun
You can no-longer call in the BRDM-2 with a Flare Gun.
It was proving a bit more powerful than we expected.
Survival Mastery
Maximum amount of Survival mastery XP available per match is now set to 1500XP.
Performance
Optimized unnecessary processes during opening and closing UI such as inventory and maps to reduce hitching.
Desynchronized how the game loads inventory icons to reduce hitching during the icon loading process.
The game now pre-loads the Blue Zone prior to match start to prevent hitching when the first Blue Zone spawns.
Optimized the physical actors (objects) to improve CPU performance.
Implemented thread scheduling optimizations to improve CPU performance.
Sound
Footstep Sound Re-Design And Remaster
In order to provide better sounds, the following improvements has been made:
Quality and details of the core sounds have been improved.
Enhanced quality of footstep sounds over distance.
Minimized the sound difference between bare feet and shoes.
For more details of the improvements, keep an eye out on the dev letter we’ll be releasing tomorrow when the test server is updated with Update 8.1
UI/UX
Emote Setting Screen UX Improvements Improvements were made to ensure a more user friendly experience.
Simply drag & drop to place emotes in the emote wheel.
All changes are now saved automatically.
Numbers are now added to the emote wheel
Now you can click on the emote in the wheel to preview emotes.
All of the emotes will be now reordered based on the date acquired.
However, emotes acquired prior to Jan, 2020, won’t be listed accurately.
In-game HUD Improvement
Improved the boost icon so that players can visually distinguish the 2 different stages of running boost.
Loading Splash Art Improvement
Splash art has been modified to support to 4K resolution.
New Notification
New visual notification has been added to the main menu Store tab to notify you when new items are added.
UI Design Improvements
Unified the style of the drop-down menu and improved user experience.
Unified the scroller status and enlarged the drag area to improve usability.
Improved the style of tool tips to be more consistent.
Custom Match Observer UI Improvements
TOP 4 UI
New TOP 4 copy is displayed when only 4 team remains.
Remaining team, number of players, match time on the top right will be changed to number of players remaining per each team / remaining time.
This feature is activated only in Duo/Squad mode
Damage Indicator
Damage indicator has been improved to indicate all 360 degrees compared to previous 4 directions.
The vertex of the damage indicator will indicate the direction of the shooter in real-time
The length of the indicator depends on the amount of damage received.
The amount of damage received is displayed with damage amount accumulated for a short period
More damage indicator will be displayed according to the number of shooter dealing damage.
Shooter information
Shooter’s Team logo, Team name(abbreviation), Player name and damage is displayed next to the indicator.
Improved Custom match interaction
Added a new interaction when hovering a cursor over the custom match slots.
Social
Team Up System Now you can easily ‘Team Up’ with other players who you’ve met in Normal and Ranked Matches!
In the match result screen of both Normal and Ranked Matches, you can now use the Team Up button to form a team.
If in a premade team already, only the team’s host can activate the Team Up button.
Death Cam will be still available after pressing the Team Up button.
When Team Up is successful, the new team will be redirected to the game lobby screen after 5 seconds
If there are no other players left waiting on the match result screen, player won’t be able to activate Team Up.
Friend List Improvement
Friend list is now updated in real-time
New Skins & Items
Available from August 5th:
Starfairy Weapon Set
Starfairy – Vector
Starfairy – SCAR-L
Starfairy – AWM
Corgi Helmet Set
Corgi Crew – Helmet (Level 1)
Corgi Crew – Helmet (Level 2)
Corgi Crew – Helmet (Level 3)
Corgi Backpack Set
Corgi Crew Backpack (Level 1)
Corgi Crew Backpack (Level 2)
Corgi Crew Backpack (Level 3)
Available from: July 29th:
Victory Dance 22
Bug Fixes
Gameplay
Fixed an issue where footstep sounds were not played correctly.
Fixed the abnormally quiet footstep sound on certain floor types in large apartment buildings on Erangel.
Fixed the issue where melee weapons teleport when thrown inside a vehicle.
Fixed the awkward movement the 2nd player would make in the lobby when readying up.
World
Fixed the floating part of the race track in Training Mode.
Fixed the issue with certain object becoming invisible when using scopes in Training Mode.
Fixed the issue where players who land on certain locations in mid-air unintentionally.
Fixed the issue where windows in Cement Factory building would not break after players vaulted through them.
Fixed an issue where Sanhok would have overcast weather although it was set to clear weather type
UI/UX
Fixed the excessively narrow scroll bar located in the store menu.
Fixed the system message displayed in wrong language when playing War Mode: Conquest.
Fixed the false preview screen displayed in customize tab when previewing item boxes which are still on sale.
Fixed the unnecessary penalty pop-up message displayed in ranked mode after spectating the players killer player.
Fixed the issue where players were directed to wrong menu screen.
Fixed the wrong season title displayed in the Career menu.
Fixed the issue where observing player’s weapon UI is not correctly displayed.
Fixed the issue where teammate number markers could be shown in the wrong location
Skins & Items
Fixed the issue where character’s neck could become invisible when equipping Biker Jacket and Ice Princess costume.
Fixed the issue where part of Tenebres AKM weapon skin remained on the weapon even after changing to another weapon.
Fixed the issue of PEL 2019 Phase 3 item displayed as other item.
Fixed the clipping issue with Major Trouble costume with a character.
Fixed the clipping issue with PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Trenchcoat and PGC 2019 Combat pants.
Replay System
Fixed the abnormal camera view when exporting the replay in certain situations.
Fixed the issue where other players are also getting kicked when kicking a player.
The replay system has been updated. Replay files from previous updates are now unavailable for use.
PCS 1 has wrapped up, but we're giving you more time to grab some of those awesome PCS 1 themed weapon skins and support teams who participated in the event.
The sale of PCS 1 weapon skins has been extended until July 22nd 2020 for both PC and Console. Please bear in mind, that as the Pick'em event has ended, Pick'em coupons won't be provided with your purchase.
25% of the profit will be shared with the teams, of which 12.5% will be shared directly with participating teams and the other 12.5% added to the prize pool.
The PUBG Continental Series 1(PCS1) is right around the corner and begins its journey from APAC on June 25! We’re providing English broadcasts as well as multiple other languages with the best PUBG Esports talent and casters for all the matches around the world.
With the PUBG Continental Series 1 (PCS 1), the 2020 global PUBG Esports event to name each region’s best teams is also welcoming the return of the Pick’em Challenge.
The Pick’Em Challenge, first introduced during the PUBG Global Championship (PGC) 2019, offers a chance to win special items by successfully predicting the winner.
Availability of PCS 1 items
After the completion of the live server maintenance day on Jun. 17, 2020 – 5 p.m. on Jul. 2, 2020 (KST)
Voting period:
After the completion of the live server maintenance day on Jun. 17, 2020 – 6 p.m. on Jul. 2, 2020 (KST)
Availability of special items in the Esports Shop with Esports Points (EPs):
11 am July 7, 2020 – 9 am July 22, 2020 (KST)
Twenty-five percent of the revenue from PCS 1 items will be equally distributed among the four regional events. Exactly 12.5% of the 25% will go to the prize pool, and the other 12.5% will be allocated evenly to all participating teams.
This new Pick’Em Challenge for PCS 1 returns with bigger rewards and more fun, together with the Esports Shop and other line-ups of events. Check out the details below and FAQs and don’t miss out on your chance to get special PCS 1 items!
Introducing, PUBG Esports Shop!
Starting with PCS 1, the Esports Shop is opening as an in-game space for PUBG Esports fans. You can use the shop and claim the final rewards and items from the Pick’Em Challenge with Esports Points. You can earn EPs by winning the games provided in the Pick’Em Challenge.
Improved Pick’Em Challenge Event
There are two types of Pick’Em Challenges for PCS 1, and you can earn EPs by participating in the event.
1. Predict the champion of each region!
In the main game of the Pick’Em Challenge, you can predict the champion of each region with your voting coupon. If you purchase PCS 1 items, you can get up to six coupons. Also, you can have a chance to get one additional voting coupon for free while watching live broadcasts. You cannot vote for the same team twice, and you can only vote once for each team.
List of the PCS 1 items:
PCS 1 COMBAT SET + one voting coupon
PCS 1 CLOTHING SET + one voting coupon
PCS 1 – M16A4 + one voting coupon
PCS 1 – MK47 MUTANT + one voting coupon
PCS 1 – UMP45 + one voting coupon
PCS 1 emote + one voting coupon
If you win the game to predict the champions, you will get 100,000 EPs that can be used at the Esports Shop in each region. For example, if you successfully predict the champion of one region, you will be awarded 100,000 EPs, and if you predict the champion of all regions, you can get a total of 400,000 EPs.
2. Who is better?
We have one more game that allows players to acquire EPs by successfully predicting which team will finish with the higher rank.
This game can be played for free even if you don’t have voting coupons. You will get 2,000 EPs for each team if you win the game. For example, if you successfully predict the result of all rivals in one region, you will get 16,000 EPs. That said, if you win the game for every rival match in all regions, you can get a total of 64,000 EPs.
Pick’Em Challenge Event FAQ
Voting
Q. How can I obtain the voting coupon?
A. There are two ways you can obtain the voting coupon.
1. Obtaining voting coupon by purchasing a PCS 1-themed skin (full list of the PCS 1 items can be found above)
One voting coupon is provided each time you purchase one of the below items released to celebrate PCS 1. You can acquire up to six voting coupons by purchasing all PCS 1 items.
2. Obtaining voting coupon for free by watching the tournament
You can also get a voting coupon while watching PCS 1 live broadcasts. A certain code for a voting coupon will be displayed during the broadcast, and people who quickly type in the code on the ”ADD EVENT CODE” section of the Pick’Em Challenge event tab in-game will each receive a voting coupon on a first come-first served basis. You can only obtain one voting coupon per account through this event.
Q. Where can I vote?
A. Go to the Esports Tab > Pick’Em Challenge Event Tab in-game to cast a vote.
Q. Where can I see the status of voting coupons I own?
A. Go to the Esports Tab > Pick’Em Challenge Event Tab to see the status of the voting coupons you own.
Q. What happens if I get a refund after I have already voted?
A. Once you refund the item after you have already voted, the vote will be invalid.
Q. Is the number of voting coupons allowed different according to the PCS 1 item?
A. You will get one voting coupon per PCS 1 item. The maximum number of voting coupons that a player can get by purchasing an item is a total of 7 coupons, including one free voting coupon that is provided if you watch the tournament.
Q. What happens if I have the voting coupon, but the voting period has ended?
A. If the voting period has ended, you cannot vote anymore. The vote will disappear as soon as the voting period ends.
Q. Can I vote again for the same team?
A. You can only vote once for each team. If you have many voting coupons, you may vote for other teams as well.
Rewards
Q. What do I get as a reward?
If you successfully predict the champion in the two types of Pick’Em Challenge games introduced above, you will earn the new Esports Points (EP). With the EPs obtained, you can obtain the final reward of the Pick’Em Challenge under PCS 1 at the Esports Shop.
Q. When do I get the Esports Points (EP)?
A. The EP is provided starting from July 6 after PCS 1 ends. You can use the points at the shops from July 6 until 6 p.m. on July 22 (KST). If you don’t get them, please contact Customer Support at http://pubg.com/support for further inquiries.
Q. Will I continue to have the EPs even if I don’t use all of the points that I gained from this Pick’Em Challenge?
A. The EP you obtained from the Pick’Em Challenge under the PCS 1 will remain until July 22, 2020 and it will disappear after that.
Q. Can I trade the items that I purchased with EP at the Steam store?
A. The items purchased using EP can be traded at the Steam Community Market beginning at 3 p.m. (KST) on July 22, 2020.
Event
Q. Can I trade PCS 1 items that I bought in the store?
A. You cannot trade PCS 1 items in the store.
Q. Where can I see the information on which teams are competing at PCS 1?
A. You can find information about teams, their players, real-time standings, etc. on the Esports tab in the PC in-game lobby.
Q. On which platform is the Pick’Em Challenge held?
A. This time, Pick’Em Challenge is held on PC and console. Please see above for the detailed schedule.
Update 7.3 is now available on PC Live Servers and brings a variety of new changes to the Battlegrounds. Read the full patch notes here.
First up, C4 is a brand new tool in your siege arsenal. With a delayed timer and a powerful shockwave that can damage and kill enemies, even through walls and cover, C4 is the explosive you need to quickly make your enemies flee their fortified buildings and scatter into your sights.
Vehicle balance has gotten a big change as well. Damaged vehicles will now have a delay before they explode, giving you a short window to bail out before the boom. In addition, damage to most vehicles is now mitigated when not hitting vital areas.
Other changes include some improvements to Vikendi terrain and train lines, the return of the parachute follow feature, an increase in spike trap length, and the updated Esports tab, bringing you schedules and information for the upcoming PCS1 tournament and the return of the Pick’Em Challenge.
Update 7.3 is live now, so drop in and check out everything new!
Our first Ranked Season has been an exciting time for us here and it’s great to see so many people enjoy this new way to play PUBG. With just about a month left to go in the inaugural season, it’s time to talk about next season’s schedule and of course, rewards.
Upcoming Ranked Season Schedule
Season 7 was our first official Ranked Season and, due to some last minute changes needed, it was a little shorter than we’d initially planned. Going forward, future seasons will begin with the start of each new season and end once servers go into maintenance to begin the next season.
Season 7 Ranked Mode will end once servers go into maintenance for Update 8.1.
Season 8 Ranked will begin as soon as Update 8.1 goes live.
Requirements for Earning Rewards
Performance based rewards go hand in hand with Ranked gameplay. Once the season ends, you will receive rewards excuse to players in that season, based on the highest tier you were able to achieve.
The first milestone comes from simply completing your ranked placement matches in any ranked queue and rewards you an emblem for your PUBG ID.
The bulk of the rewards are reserved for players who achieve at least the Gold V tier in any ranked queue and include special Season 7 Ranked skins.
How do I get my rewards?
All rewards you earned from Season 7 Ranked will be sent to your account automatically once the season ends. This may take a little time due to the volume of rewards being sent out, but we expect the vast majority of rewards to be delivered within a few days of the season ending.
Season 7 Ranked Mode Rewards
Now onto the good stuff! There are two different categories of rewards depending on what you were able to accomplish in Season 7.
Here is what you’ll earn:
Season 7 Tier Emblem
An emblem matching your highest Season 7 Ranked tier.The top 500 players in each region will be given a special TOP 500 emblem to commemorate their outstanding achievement.
Exclusive Season 7 Skins
Players who reach Gold V tier or higher will be granted the Season 7 Ranked Motorcycle and Parachute skins!
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One small update, we’d previously announced Nameplate rewards for your PUBG ID as well, but have now decided to excluded them from seasonal rewards.
We’ve made the decision to to overhaul the PUBG ID system to be more attractive and useful for players both in the menus and on the Battlegrounds. This will affect how nameplates work, so we’re removing them from the rewards list for now.
Season 7 Ranked is quickly coming to an end, but there’s still plenty of time to grind out that RP and secure your rewards before we kick off Season 8.
The PUBG Continental Series 1 (PCS1) begins next week! With Qualifiers over and the Charity Showdowns complete, all four regions are ready to rumble in the PCS1!
PCS1 will be held across four regions from June 25 to July 5, including:
Asia Pacific (APAC) - Indonesia, Oceania, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam
Asia - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Korea
North America
Europe
While the total combined prize pool for these regional tournaments is $800,000, each tournament will have a prize pool of $200,000. Plus, 25% of all PCS1 sales items profits will be applied to the additional prize pool.
The PCS1 prize pool consists of:
$200,000 prize pool for each region.
25% of PCS1 item profits sales will be distributed back to pro teams across the four regions: 12.5% of the profits will be added to each of the regional prize pools, and 12.5% will be distributed equally amongst the participating teams.
Here are your PCS1 Finalists across all four regions!
PUBG CONTINENTAL SERIES 1 APAC
PCS 1 APAC Schedule
Week 1: June 25, 27 @ 5pm ICT / 3am PDT / 12pm CEST / 7pm KST Week 2: July 2, 4 @ 5pm ICT / 3am PDT / 12pm CEST / 7pm KST
PCS 1 APAC Participating Teams
Indonesia
Eagle 365, Victim Rise
Oceania
Astra, Carnage Esports, FURY
Philippines
Bahamut Gaming
Thailand
Buriram United Esports, Daytrade Gaming, Golden Cat, MSC THEERATHON, QConfirm
For changes this update, we focused on some survivability improvements to vehicles, a new explosive tool on the Battlegrounds, some quality of life improvements when parachuting and more!
The full patch notes are below, so let’s get right into it.
Gameplay
Season 7 Vehicle Balance
Vehicles are crucial tools on the Battlegrounds, and for a while now there’s been some frustration around dying instantly when your vehicle explodes. This patch seeks to add some more realistic survivability to how vehicles take damage and gives players a small window to bail out before the final explosion takes place.
Explosion Mechanic Changes
Vehicles no longer explode instantly upon reaching 0 HP. Instead, engines are now disabled and set on fire, causing the vehicle to explode after 5 seconds
Vehicles can still explode instantly if taking large radial damage, like from Red Zones, C4 etc.
Exploding vehicles now receive both linear and angular velocity, instead of only linear (vehicle movement after exploding should look a bit less static now)
Additionally, vehicles will no longer receive increased collision damage when they’re rolled over
Vehicle Damage Changes
Most vehicles now have multiple damage zones which apply different damage multipliers
Applies to the following vehicles: Buggy, Dacia, UAZ, Mirado, Pickup, Rony and Zima
All other vehicles receive damage as before, equally regardless of area hit
Damage zones:
Engine – 100% Damage
Engine area, usually located at the front
Body – 75% Damage
Front and rear doors, rear and bottom sides of body
Roof – 50% Damage
Roof panel, roof pillars, seats, mirrors
Boat Armor Upgrade
Boats are now granted 5 static damage reduction
New Throwable: C4
C4 is an interesting and powerful new tool that gives players new ways to strategically flush out timid opponents. With a massive 25 meter effective radius and damage that can penetrate cover, you’ll be wanting to run away when you hear this beeping brick of boom. A quick note about C4, we don’t intend this to be just another throwable. It has a pretty short range, but can be used to cut off enemy entry into a building or new zone, or as mentioned above can force enemies out of their safe positions.
C4 will start beeping and automatically detonate 16 seconds after being thrown
Detonation cannot be stopped or activated early
There is a warning LED on the C4 and audible beeping with increasing intensity, clearly audible inside the damage radius which warns you of the upcoming explosion
C4 sticks to most surfaces, including vehicles
It doesn’t stick to players
Effective damage radius is 25 metres, with a lethal damage radius of 15 meters
Damage extends vertically, but with slightly less range (lethal radius of 12.5 meters vertically)
The shockwave emitted from the explosion is so powerful it damages all enemies within its radius, even if they’re behind cover
Due to the weight of the C4 you can’t throw it far and you can’t carry many
Found as world loot on Erangel, Miramar, Vikendi and Sanhok
Good luck and try not to blow yourself up!
Spike Trap
Spike traps aren’t quite as effective as we hoped, so we’re increasing their length by 50% to make those trapped choke points more difficult to get around.
Spike Trap length increased by 50%
Vikendi Loot Balance
Increased DMR spawns slightly
Parachute Follow Feature
Added parachute follow back to normal matches to help teammates land together. This feature was temporarily removed after its addition in Update 6.2 due to some technical issues which have now been resolved.
During the pre-match countdown, follow UI will be shown at the bottom left of the screen
Open the map to select a teammate to follow
You can still select a teammate to follow up until exiting the plane
After selecting a teammate to follow, you can cancel on the map screen, or also by holding F while in the plane, or while actively following a player in your parachute
If you’re obstructed by terrain or an object, your follow will be cancelled
A new icon has been added to better highlight the “Disable Follow” option
Esports Tab
The new menu will include an overview, standings, and the next Pick’Em Challenge. The menu will be available through July, so be sure to stop back often to check out what’s happening with PCS1 and PUBG Esports!
Menu Breakdown
Overview: An Introduction to PCS1 and the Pick’Em challenge, along with match schedule for the event
Teams: All participating teams and their players can be found here, including individual player stats updated daily. Click regions and teams for more info
Standings: Up to date standings with a per region breakdown (APAC, Asia, North America, and Europe)
Pick’Em Challenge: Event page for the PCS Pick’Em Challenge where you can vote on who you think will take home the event victory. All details can be found here on how to participate for a chance to unlock exclusive rewards. We’ll also be sharing a separate announcement with more details before this goes live
Want more info? Read the PCS event announcement here. Stay tuned for another announcement on everything you need to know about the Pick’Em Challenge.
For everything PUBG Esports, head over to pubgesports.com, or hit the PCS1 logo in the esports tab for an easy shortcut when you’re in-game.
Vikendi
Train System Improvement
We’re glad so many of you are enjoying the updated Vikendi!
To help put more focus on the train system, we’ve added another line, additional stops, and some visual and audio improvements to let you know when your trains arrive and depart. We’ve added some more DMRs and some scenery changes to end out the season as well.
Train Line Adjustments
Added new train line
Towards the center of the map, we’ve added another train line spanning vertically to help better connect the whole system and make it easier to move across the map
Improvements to existing lines
We’ve put a bigger focus on longer routes, lengthening existing train lines which should help players travel a substantial distance, without having to change trains multiple times
Stations and signals
Trains will now move through two stations before changing direction, to give you some more time to catch up and jump on
New flashing traffic lights and unique arrival and departure sounds will now alert you to arriving and departing trains
Additional Cover
Added more tree and rock cover in towns and regions where it was lacking
Dinoland
Artificial geysers have been added to Dinoland
Loot Balance
Increased DMR spawns slightly on Vikendi
UI/UX
Network debug stats have been moved slightly
System pop-up message has been improved to display much more smoothly
Tommy Gun icon has been updated to more accurately represent the weapon
Changed logos for the 6x Scope and Shotgun Chokes
Network Statistics Data
A new Network Statistics Data Collection option has been added to help troubleshoot certain network issues and send relevant data back to PUBG
This is DISABLED by default
Performance
Reduced instances of FPS hitching/stuttering which could occur when first opening your inventory in-game
Survivor Pass: Cold Front
We’re nearing the end of Survivor Pass: Cold Front, so complete those missions, unlock rewards and spend your remaining your coupons.
The third season mission track is now available
Survival Pass: Cold Front ends July 15th 0200 UTC
After this, Premium Pass purchases won’t be available and you won’t be able to activate level up coupons
Grace period
From July 15th 0200 ~ before the July 22nd maintenance, players will be able to claim unclaimed rewards in the results page
The Coupon Store is available until the grace period ends, with any remaining coupons
Coupon store
Coupons can be spend in the coupon shop until July 22nd maintenance
Unused coupons will NOT be available after July 22nd maintenance
Ranked Mode
There are lot of questions when the Ranked season end and what rewards are available. We’ll be sharing more details on rewards closer towards the end of the season.
The current Ranked season will end with maintenance on July 22nd, with a new season commencing immediately after completion of maintenance
A timer will appear on the Ranked lobby screen one week prior to season end, so you can quickly see how much time is left
Ranked Rewards
Ranked Season 7 rewards will be given out the first time a player logs in to the game after Season 8 is live
Ranked Season 7 rewards are determined by the highest Rank Tier a player is holding at the end of Season 7 in either queue
Players who are on the Top 500 Leaderboards at the end of the season will receive bonus rewards
To clarify some confusion due to some ruleset info not being included in Update 7.2 patch notes, we’d like to let you know that the M249, DBS and Spike Trap intentionally do not spawn in Ranked Mode.
Map selection ratio adjustment
Sanhok Ratio Decreased
Decreased frequency in which you'll get Sanhok in Ranked Mode
We have been having discussions internally and looking at player feedback in regards to the Ranked Mode experience of Sanhok. The experience it offers is generally quite different to the larger maps and we have even considered removing it from Ranked Mode entirely.
Although, there are of course many players who do enjoy Sanhok in Ranked, so for now we've decided to just slightly reduce the frequency in which you'll get Sanhok matches in ranked.
Please keep the feedback coming on this.
Custom Match
Observing UI improvement
Auto (combat) spectate system (Ctrl + Z)
Use the hotkey to spectate players combat scenes by priority. This cannot be used when in freecam or follow cam
Switch to attacker’s perspective (Ctrl + X)
Can be used while using the auto spectate system
Switches to the most recent attacker who has attacked the player being observed
Cannot be activated while using Freecam or Follow Cam
New item visual effects
Observing a player who uses a throwable or healing item now displays a new visual effect
Increased team color visibility
Team color UI visibility improved
Team colors may seem slightly darker than before, with the added shadow
Custom Match List Overhaul
The custom match list page now displays matches of all game modes on one page
Skins & Items
New items
Swimsuits #1
CHECKERED SUMMER SET (Including Victory dance 20 emote)
RETRO FERN SET
Summer Bikini (Black)
Swimsuits #2
POLKA DOT SUMMER SET
RETRO SUMMER SET
PCS1 2020
PCS1 COMBAT SET
PCS1 CLOTHING SET
Weapon Skin – 3 Items
Emote – 1 Item
Emotes
Use Your Brain
Rev It Up
Victory Dance 17
Victory Dance 18
Sales period
Swimsuits #1 : 7/1 – 8/26
Swimsuits #2 : 7/15 – 8/26
Esports PCS#1 : 6/17 – 7/2
Emotes – 4 items : 20/6/24
Bug Fixes
Gameplay
Fixing an issue where the mouse cursor would stay onscreen while playing War Mode
Fixed an issue where sometimes weapons would clip through a player’s back while they were a passenger in a vehicle
Fixed the issue with boat/aquarail heaving awkwardly when hit by a throwable.
Fixed an issue which prevented leaning/peeking from working while crouched and using consumables
Fixed an issue where the appearance of AR and DMR compensators were swapped when attached to the MK14/SKS
Fixed an issue where character models could appear outside the vehicle when entering BRDM with a throwable.
Fixed an issue where grenades would not deal damage to a vehicle if they exploded while cooked.
Fixed the abnormal collision of the Zima/Rony's vehicle windows
Improved the animation for underarm throwing while prone.
Fixed an issue where weapon aiming animation would play incorrectly while in the UAZ backseat.
Fixed an issue where characters sprinting downstairs could get launched forwards.
UI/UX
Fixed an issue which displayed the wrong system message when declining a party invite
Fixed an issue with the Parachute Follow feature and the interaction UI not displaying a player’s correct keybinds in certain situations
Fixed a localization issue with the Mirado in the Last Match tab
Fixed the abnormal system message in certain language option.
Fixed the issue with changes in ‘Prepare Throw’ key settings not being applied to the key guide
Fixed an issue where the throwable weapon indicator would not update correctly in all colorblind modes.
Fixed the UI update timing for S686 reloads.
Skins & Items
Fixed a visual issue with PGI Title Wraps
Fixed the issue with character’s finger displayed abnormally when equipping ‘The Chain’ skin in character customization screen.
Fixed an issue where the camera was not locked in place on the preview screen for weapon skins, or item crates
Fixed a visual issue with High Waisted Shorts
Replay System
Fixed an issue with incorrect team color/patterns displayed in replays
Fixed the issue where buildings destroyed by the Black Zone on Karakin weren’t marked as destroyed when moving through replay timelines
The replay system has been updated. Replay files from previous updates are now unavailable for use.