PUBG’s fourth Season is well underway and the game has received a fresh patch, Update 4.2. This update is most notable for finally closing the gap between the console and PC versions of the game. Where in the past it would take some time for new content and fixes to hit the console versions of the game, the two are now approaching parity. A nice upgrade, but one that other games like Fortnite and Apex Legends have essentially had since launch. Still, update 4.2 has brought a fair bit of new content and balancing changes to PUBG. Even more upgrades to the physics system in the game are set to make PUBG more immersive than ever.
Gameplay Changes in Update 4.2
These are the main adjustments to gameplay in Update 4.2.
- Vehicle Handling– Vehicle handing on the Scooter, Snowmobile, Snowbike, and Motorcycle with sidecar have all been improved.
- Blue Zone– The blue zone now has a rolling shimmering effect when it is seen at the edge of the screen. Players will now have a clearer shot when aiming around the Blue Zone. This should help improve aiming for players who stay close to the blue.
- Reticules– Reticules on all scopes have been improved for greater visibility on bright backgrounds. This is going to be particularly helpful on maps like Vikendi.
- Throwables– The friction of throwables as they roll has been redone to make them more consistent with the rest of the game’s physics. The smoke grenades will now have a slower rolling speed and distance. The stun and frag grenades have had their friction decreased so they now have a faster-rolling speed and increased distance.
- Vehicle Engines– You can now turn the engine off or on even while driving. This allows you to let your car roll along for a while to make a more tactical approach. This is going to be fun for players to assess how far they can get on an empty tank.
- Survivor’s Pass– A ‘hot time’ period has been added to the survivor’s pass to allow players to get through the co-op missions quite a bit faster. Hot Time will be a timed period in which player’s progress will go quite a bit faster.
Map and Other Changes
- Dynamic Weather – Dynamic weather has been added to the new Erangel map in Update 4.2! Over the course of a game the weather is going to change mixing things up.
- Destructible Objects on Erangel – A number of destroyable objects have been added to Erangel. They can provide cover if you want to take the risk of your cover getting knocked to pieces. Making the maps more dynamic is always good news.
- Custom Matches on Erangel – Custom matches on Erangel now have the option to chose between classic Engral or the new version. This works in every game mode. It is cool to see the nostalgic original version of the map staying alive somewhere on the servers.
- Replays – The replay system has had some upgrades. However, if you want to watch a game you may be better off hitting up a stream for tips than your own past games.
- Matchmaking – Matchmaking has been improved in the NA region.
- Bug fixes – Plently of them in Update 4.2.
These PUBG changes are mainly directed at adding even more polish to the physics system in game. It isn’t the most revolutionary change. However, every improvement to the game is a welcome one. As Epic add overpowered robots to Fortnite and remove mechanics like turbo-building, it is nice to have PUBG remain relatively balanced. If you want to continue to play as well as you can in PUBG, then you should make sure you’re using the best PUBG settings and getting the best frames per second possible.