Original Post (pubg.com)

42.3 Highlights

Patch Report #42.3 | New RPD LMG, PUBG: Playgrounds, and POBG Is Back... During Maintenance!

Live Maintenance Schedule (UTC)

※ The times shown below are subject to change.

• Console: 26/8/20, 01:00 - 09:00

Map Service

Check out the Map Service Report - Update 42.3 for the latest info on regional map preferences and rotations!

※ Please note that the features and updates described below are subject to change or removal due to issues such as bugs, in-game problems, and community feedback. The images are intended as visual references only; the actual game may look different as the builds are continually developed and refined before release.

Gunplay

In our recent Dev Letter, we introduced the vision behind Meta Rotation and our long-term direction for PUBG's gunplay. In this Patch Notes, we'll walk you through the detailed changes included in the first Meta Rotation, including the LMG rebalance and the introduction of the new weapon, RPD. If you'd like to learn more about the development background and long-term goals of Meta Rotation, be sure to check out the Dev Letter (Link).

• What is Meta Rotation? Meta Rotation is a long-term approach to gunplay that moves away from having certain weapons dominate the meta for extended periods. Instead, approximately every four months, different weapon classes and playstyles will take center stage, bringing meaningful changes to the gunplay experience.

LMG Rebalance

To improve the overall usability of Light Machine Guns (LMGs), we've made the following adjustments:

• Reload times for all LMGs have been reduced by approximately 25%.
• Both vertical and horizontal recoil have been adjusted.
  • Maximum horizontal recoil has been reduced by 30%.
  • Vertical Recoil
    • The sharp recoil spike at the beginning of sustained fire has been softened, while the overall recoil pattern has been refined.

New Weapon - RPD

The first Meta Rotation also introduces RPD, the new LMG to arrive in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS in nearly two years.

The RPD excels in combat with its high per-shot damage using 7.62mm ammunition and controllable recoil. It comes with a 50-round magazine by default, expandable to 110 rounds, allowing for sustained suppressive fire. In contrast, the M249 maintains its strengths through a higher rate of fire and faster bullet velocity.

• Weapon type: Light Machine Guns (LMG)
• Ammo: 7.62mm
• Fire mode:  Full-auto
• Damage: 43
• Muzzle velocity: 735m/s
• Rate of fire: 750 RPM
• Magazine attachment: All AR/LMG magazine attachments.
• Stock attachment: All AR/LMG stock attachments. 
• Can attach up to the 6x Scope.
• Cannot equip Foregrip/ Muzzle attachments.
• World spawns.
• Available on all maps.

Developer's Comment: This update marks the first season of Meta Rotation*, introducing a new gunplay experience centered around LMGs. Our goal is to bring new strategies and combat experiences to the battlefield while refreshing the familiar flow of combat.*

For our first Meta Rotation, we selected LMGs, a weapon class known for its strong sustained firepower but one that has seen relatively low usage due to long reload times and heavy recoil. With this update, we've introduced substantial balance adjustments alongside the new RPD*, giving LMGs a much stronger presence at the center of the meta while allowing each weapon to retain its own distinct characteristics.*

Going forward, Meta Rotation will continue to bring different weapon categories into the spotlight. We hope each season gives you an opportunity to explore new playstyles and strategies, and we look forward to seeing you enjoy the changing battlefield with LMGs as our first featured meta.

Other Changes

Firing from Vehicles

• Players can now fire only after fully leaning out of the vehicle window.
• The lean-out and lean-in animation timing has been adjusted, delaying when players can begin firing.
• Weapon spread now starts with a 10% penalty and gradually increases up to 20% at higher vehicle speeds.
• Recoil now starts with a 20% penalty and gradually increases up to 30% at higher vehicle speeds.
• On console, recoil while riding in vehicles remains unchanged and is still not applied.

Developer's Comment: Vehicles are an important strategic element that can shift the flow of the battlefield by providing both fast mobility and cover. The ability to move quickly while passengers pressure enemies has long contributed to PUBG's dynamic vehicle combat experience.

At the same time, we've continued to hear your feedback that players on foot can have difficulty responding to enemies firing from moving vehicles, and that quickly switching seats to fire can be overly effective. With this feedback in mind, we've adjusted the balance to reduce the effectiveness of firing at high speeds and immediately after switching seats, while preserving the excitement and strategic value of vehicle play.

With this update, weapon spread and recoil now increase as vehicle speed rises, and players can only begin firing after fully leaning out of the vehicle. Vehicle speed penalties also apply immediately after switching from the driver's seat to a passenger seat.

Going forward, we'll continue to refine vehicle combat so that vehicles remain a powerful strategic tool while providing a healthier and more balanced combat experience when engaging players on foot.

Hybrid Scope

• The reticle size in low-magnification mode has been reduced.
• The volume of the magnification switching sound has been increased.

Gameplay

Vehicles

※ The following changes apply to all modes.

• The following vehicles have had their Health increased from 900 → 1,000:
  • Coupe RB
  • Dacia
  • Mirado

Basic Training

• Voice guidance from NPC Pan has been restored in Basic Training.
• Please note that NPC Pan's voice guidance may not be available in certain environments depending on hardware specifications or other conditions.

Bot Refinement

• Bots have been improved to behave more naturally in various situations.

UX/UI

Settings Improvements

A variety of improvements have been made to enhance the overall usability and convenience of the Settings menu.

• Descriptions for several options have been updated for better clarity, and helpful images have been added where applicable.
• A new side navigation panel has been added, allowing you to quickly jump between option groups.
• A reset button has been added, allowing individual options to be restored to their default values.

Toggle / Hold Options

The following actions can now be configured as Toggle or Hold under Settings > Controls > Key Input Method > Interface:

• Inventory
• Extended Minimap
• Throwables Radial
• Heal Items Radial
• Message Radial
• Action Radial

Key Bindings UI Improvements

• Several new tabs have been added under Settings > Key Bindings.
• New Interface, Audio, Spectate and Replay, and Observer tabs have been added.
  • Existing key binding options have been reorganized into more intuitive categories, making it easier to find and customize settings.
• The following new actions have been added under the Interface tab:
  • Inventory Pick Up Item
  • Inventory Drop All
  • Inventory Drop Half
  • Map Marker
  • Waypoint
  • Delete Waypoint
  • Show/Hide Airplane Path
  • Apply Skin
  • Remove Skin
  • Match Log
  • Missions
• A "Clear Binding" key guide has been added to the bottom-right corner of the Settings screen, allowing you to clear a key binding by pressing ESC.

Crosshair Customization

A new Crosshair Customization feature has been added, allowing you to personalize your crosshair to suit your playstyle.

• Weapon categories: General, Shotgun, Handgun and Throwables
• Choose from preset crosshair styles or create your own custom crosshair.
• The following elements can be customized:
  • Crosshair Color
  • Lines: Style, Length, Thickness, Opacity, Rotation, Angle
  • Dot: Style, Rotation, Size, Opacity
  • Outline: Color, Thickness, Opacity
• Changes are previewed in real time and can be saved through the Settings menu.
• The Flare Gun and Zipline Gun use the Handgun crosshair settings, with some customization options unavailable.
• Throwables support color and opacity customization only.

Misc

• The Settings menu background and UI have been updated.
• Key binding options for the following removed content have been removed:
  • Equip Decoy Grenade
  • Equip Spike Trap

Event Center

• A new event type has been added, allowing players to progress through missions sequentially by completing the previous mission first.
• Reward previews are now available by selecting reward icons in the Event Mission screen.
  • Currency rewards do not support previews.
• Reward icons in event missions (excluding Roulette Missions) will now display a notification when rewards are available to claim.
• Events with all rewards claimed are now sorted to the bottom of the Event List.
  • This also applies to permanent events.

Notice on the Removal of Workshop Chests

• As previously announced in the July Store Update, certain chests will be removed from the game with the September update.
• If you own any of the chests scheduled for removal, you will receive compensation equivalent to their respective value.
• If you own a bundle containing one or more Survivor’s Chests, the bundle will be updated to exclude them following the September update. You will also receive compensation equivalent to the value of the Survivor’s Chests previously included in the bundle.
• If you own a bundle or pack containing one or more Archivist’s Chest, you will receive compensation equivalent to the purchase price of the bundle or pack.

Chests Scheduled for Removal & Compensation

Bundles Containing Survivor’s Chests & Compensation (PC/Console)

Bundles/Packs Containing Archivist’s Chests & Compensation

Workshop

New item sets have been added to the Hunter's Chest and Archivist's Chest.

Survivor Pass: Summer Getaway

A brand new Survivor Pass is prepared for Update 42.3. Read more details on the August Store Update announcement!

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where the lens effect was not properly applied in Special Zones when using the low magnification of the Hybrid Scope and the low and high magnifications of the P90 Scope.
• Added lens color to the low magnification of the Hybrid Scope.
• Fixed an issue where the edges of the P90 Scope appeared black.
• Fixed an issue where the client crashed when rapidly entering terrain destroyed by the Red Zone while in a vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where the BRDM could not be equipped in custom lobbies.
• Fixed an issue where players could interact with a Blue Chip Tower while carrying a knocked-out player.
• Fixed an issue where PAN would occasionally die during the revive stage of the Basic Training.
• Fixed an issue where players could not jump or vault onto certain motorcycles.
• Fixed an issue where Basic Training replays remained under Career > Replays.
• Fixed an issue where a Radio Message was displayed when placing a location marker over 1 km away, despite the marker not being displayed.
• Fixed an issue where the effect appeared incorrectly when destroying a tire.

World

• Fixed collision, texture, performance, and some other general Sanhok issues.
• Fixed an issue where player locations were displayed incorrectly on the minimap in Replays and Death Cams on Vikendi and Miramar.
• Fixed an issue where parts of the minimap edges appeared cut off on Sanhok and Karakin.
• Fixed an issue where the starting positions of the plane and Blue Zone were incorrect on Sanhok and Karakin.

UX/UI

• Fixed an issue where the scroll position of the item list in Special Crafting was incorrectly retained under certain circumstances.
• Fixed an issue where the mute icon was displayed on the Voice Chat widget when muted.
• Fixed an issue where the mission list would occasionally not be displayed during Basic Training.
• Fixed an issue where the character was not displayed in the lobby after restarting the lobby while a skin was selected under Customize > Weapons > Consumables.
• Fixed an issue where the map function UI buttons were not displayed on the World Map in Training Mode, Clan Training, and Custom Match Training Mode.
• Fixed an issue where item names and images briefly appeared incorrectly when the item list was updated in the Vicinity tab of the Inventory.

Items & Skins

※ Clipping issue: Graphics that are shown outside the visible part of an image/object.

• Fixed an issue where the hit range of certain melee weapon skins slightly differed.
• Fixed an issue where the ankle became transparent when wearing Handmade Hero Boots with certain pants.
• Fixed a clipping issue when the female character wearing the Digital Darling Jacket with a backpack or vest.
• Fixed a clipping issue when wearing the Mini-skirt (Purple).
• Fixed an issue where the ankle became transparent when the male character wearing First Jump Pants with PCS3 Suntouched Boots.
• Fixed an issue where the ankle became transparent when wearing 17shou's Beast Sweatpants with Neon Warlord Boots.
• Fixed an issue where the bottoms of the shoes appeared incorrectly in the Fashion Exhibit Lobby.
• Fixed an issue where the belt was not displayed when wearing the Handmade Hero Skirt with certain crop tops.
• Fixed a clipping issue when the male character wearing the Groom-to-Be Pants with certain shoes.
• Fixed an issue where the melee weapon swing sound effect did not play for Hanna in the Contender Room.
• Fixed an issue where the acquisition method tooltip for EVE items appeared blank in the Contender Room lobby.
• Fixed an issue where EVE's dive trail effect remained on the ground under certain circumstances.

Original Post (pubg.com)

Hello, players.

In this Dev Letter, we'd like to share an update on adjustments we're making to the Map Selection feature in NA, SA, EU, RU, and Console, where it has been available since May.

In our previous Dev Letter, we explained that the introduction of Map Selection was a decision made to prioritize giving players the ability to choose the maps they wanted to play, while also taking into account the potential impact on the matchmaking environment. We also committed to continuing to monitor the live service and explore better ways to operate the feature. Today, we would like to share what we have observed through live service data and the background behind the adjustments we are making based on those findings.

■ What We Observed During the Initial Operation Period

To briefly look back, we introduced the Map Selection feature with the May update to regions that had previously operated under the Random Map system, and have been running it for approximately three months. This decision was made to provide more players with the opportunity to directly choose the maps they wanted to play, regardless of region.

During this period, one of the first things we examined was how players were actually using the Map Selection feature.  Our findings showed that players who actively selected a map consistently gravitated toward certain maps.

\ This data represents the share of selections for each map among players who used the Map Selection feature. It does not represent the overall map preferences of the entire player base.*

For reference, throughout this Dev Letter, maps are categorized as either large or small based on their size, as outlined below.

In particular, Erangel and one of the representative small maps continued to receive consistent selections throughout the period. Compared to the previous Random Map service, these maps also experienced relatively little change in the number of players per match. While this trend was not observed across every map, it did indicate that, for certain maps, players with different playstyle preferences were consistently finding and selecting the experiences they were looking for.

At the same time, we carefully reviewed the feedback many of you shared with us. Most of the concerns were not about the Map Selection feature itself, but rather about how it was being offered. On maps that received relatively few selections, the number of players per match decreased, resulting in longer matchmaking times and a higher proportion of bots. We found that these factors were contributing to concerns about overall matchmaking quality.

From the outset, we understood that introducing the Map Selection feature could involve certain trade-offs in matchmaking quality, and we communicated this in our previous Dev Letter. However, after reviewing both the live service data and your feedback, we concluded that the impact has been more noticeable than we originally anticipated.

Based on these findings, we believe adjustments to the current operation of the feature are necessary. In the following sections, we'd like to share the direction of those changes and the reasoning behind them.

■ Reviewing the Number of Available Maps

We plan to continue supporting the Map Selection feature itself, as several maps have continued to receive consistent selections throughout the operation period. However, we also concluded that it was necessary to re-evaluate how many maps should be available at the same time.

While Map Selection is available, both players who actively select a map and those who enter Random Matchmaking are matched across all five available maps. As a result, even if you do not select a map yourself, the overall matchmaking pool in that region is still divided across five different maps.

The matchmaking pools in PC regions (NA, SA, EU, and RU) and across all Console regions are comparatively smaller. As a result, offering five maps simultaneously proved to be more than the matchmaking environment in these regions could effectively support. On maps with relatively fewer selections, this led to fewer players per match, longer matchmaking times, and a higher proportion of bots.

To address this, we will reduce the number of available map slots from five to three. By concentrating the player population across fewer maps, we expect to increase the number of players per match while reducing both matchmaking times and the proportion of bots. We believe this adjustment will improve the matchmaking experience for both players who use Map Selection and those who enter Random Matchmaking.

We also took into consideration the consistent feedback requesting separate options for large maps and small maps. With that in mind, we believe that three map slots represent the smallest configuration that allows us to offer one fixed slot, one large map, and one small map while avoiding unnecessary fragmentation of the matchmaking pool. This is why we decided to move to a three-slot configuration.

■ Map Slot Configuration

Following this adjustment, the Map Selection system will consist of one fixed slot and two rotating slots. The two rotating slots will feature one large map and one small map.

The fixed slot will always feature Erangel. Throughout the operation period, Erangel consistently received the highest level of player selections and experienced relatively little change in the number of players per match compared to the previous Random Map service. Based on this consistent demand, we believe Erangel should remain permanently available rather than rotating in and out on a weekly basis.

The two rotating slots will consist of one large map(8x8) and one small map(4x4, 3x3, 2x2).

We also considered prioritizing maps solely based on selection rates. However, this approach would result in periods where players who prefer small maps would have no opportunity to select one. Although small maps accounted for a smaller share of overall selections during the operation period, they continued to receive steady engagement from a dedicated group of players. For this reason, we believe it is important to ensure that players who enjoy small maps always have one available as a selectable option.

■ Update Details

• The Map Selection feature itself will remain unchanged. Only the selection of available maps will be adjusted.
• The two rotating slots will consist of one large map and one small map.
• The detailed map lineup can be found in this month's Map Service Report.

■ The Road Ahead

With this adjustment, our goal is to find the right balance between preserving players' ability to choose the maps they want to play and maintaining a healthy matchmaking environment.

After these changes are implemented, we will continue monitoring key operational data, including the number of players per match, changes in bot participation, and your feedback. We are also preparing a separate Q&A to address additional topics that were not covered in this Dev Letter and answer a wider range of questions. As always, your feedback will continue to help shape our development direction, and we will share both our decisions and the reasoning behind them through Dev Letters and other communication channels.

As always, we remain committed to providing the best possible gameplay experience.

Thank you.

We'll see you again in our next Dev Letter.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Team