Krafton, the developers of PUBG: Battleground, formerly known as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, announced that the online multiplayer battle royale will be "Free-to-Play" after years of offering paid premium in-game features.
The said transition will also bring the Patch 15.2 Update that adds in more elements in the game, including new in-game items that could help them during a match, as well as tutorial modes that will help players, especially those who are beginners, to have a grasp in the game
Maintenance Schedule, Rewards
But before they experience its "Free-to-Play" features, players need to wait its game servers to be restored first as they are be down since January 10th, and they will remain that way during a specific amount of time as part of the said transition.
2 more days to go! 12th of January marks the beginning of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Free-to-Play Service!
— PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (@PUBG) January 10, 2022
Remember, a free chicken dinner is always available in the battlegrounds 🍗 pic.twitter.com/wTzeWIYmWj
But, according to Gamespot, the said server maintenance for the game servers of PUBG: Battleground's PC version will end on January 11th at 11:00 PM PST (January 12th at 2:00 AM ET), while the maintenance for the Console version will end on January 12th at 12:00 AM PT (3:00 AM ET).
Once the servers are up, players who preregistered after linking their Krafton ID until January 11th will receive a Highside Slick Backpack and Top, as well as two preset slot coupons.
If they complete a Play Style Quiz on the Pre-Registration page, they will also get 10 Contraband coupons.
They will also receive a Highside Slick Helmet and an Iron G-Coin Box if they invite up to three friends to pre-register, while those who have played the Paid Version of the gamer will receive a Costume skin set, a Shackle and Shanks Legacy - Pan, and a Battle-hardened Legacy nameplate.
Additions
Aside from the Free-to-Play transition, PUBG: Battlegrounds will be also receiving additions coming from the Patch 15.2 Update.
One of which is the new Tactical Gear feature, which according to the patch notes posted in the game's website, will be taking up the primary weapon slots once they picked it up during a match.
The Drone, one of the Tactical Gears that will be included in the game, can scout far distances safely, while picking up items without letting the player who is controlling it face the risk of direct combat.
At flight, it will make noise, have a distinctive blinking light, and will be identified by a unique icon on both in the game's map and minimap.
However, they need to be careful flying it as it can be hit by gunfire, explosions, and vehicle collisions. Once its HP reaches 0, it will eventually fall towards the ground and gets destroyed. They must retrieve it in order to repair it and use it again.
Once they got Drone during the match, they can hold the Drone Tablet that acts as a remote control for the item, which lets them access the Drone View after launching it into the air.
While in the said view mode, they will stop moving and give up the control of their body. If they toggle out of the Drone View, the Drone will remain hovering in its current position.
They can also recall the Drone, which it will fly back in a straight line to the location they first recalled it. They can stop it with the use of the Drone Tablet, and while doing so, it will not avoid obstacles or move through solid objects.
Another added Tactical Gear in the game is the EMT Gear, which allows those who have it to heal either themselves or their team at a cost of reduced combat flexibility.
Once they have it after looting it, they can interact with an injured player, or players, and heal them to maximum health for 3 seconds. They can also revive knocked down teammates using said gear also for 3 seconds.
The patch update will also bring in new Tutorial modes in PUBG: Battlegrounds.
According to mp1st.com, these include the Basic Training mode, which players will go through five stages that will show them the basics of the game, including basic movements, shooting guns, and healing and reviving teammates.
An AI Training mode will also be added in the game, where players will face up to 99 bots in 10 AI-generated mock games in order for them to have a grasp of how a PUBG: Battlegrounds match works.
These matches will not affect or provide Missions, Battlestats, Rewards, and Custom Matches.
The patch update also added in Lobby Tutorial Missions in order to them to help themselves getting used to the game once they are done with the aforementioned tutorial modes.
It also improved its Training Mode, where it added a Training Helper to help them practice using several guns and items any time during the match, as well as a Practice Range to test their accuracy.
It also improved the shooting targets in the Training Mode by adding in moving targets, as well as those that that will pop-up at random.
Finally, it added an Action Queuing feature, which players can line up their next desired action by pressing or holding a button while a certain action is in progress.
For example, if they are holding the button for Firing a weapon while reloading, the gun will fire immediately after the reload ends.
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