PUBG June 2019 update: Erangel visuals, BRDM, ledge grab & more

PUBG Corp. has provided details surrounding the visual update of Erangel. Also introducing a ledge grab feature and the amphibious BRDM vehicle.

Rumors of a visual update to the original PUBG map, Erangel, have been circling for some time now. On Wednesday evening, PUBG Corp. released a video detailing their efforts to update the map, as well as plans for the rest of 2019 on their blog.

First, the map of Erangel will be receiving a visual update. This is the “remaster” that had been rumored over the past couple months. In addition to PUBG’s video informing the community on upcoming features, the team also released a video showing before and after shots of the visual update. Foliage throughout the map appears to be more dense, most notably in the grassy fields of Erangel.

In the community, Erangel has always been seen as the most well-balanced map. The map’s speed and play-style exist in the middle ground between Sanhok and Miramar. Recently in Update #28, the map received a long-awaited bump in its loot settings. This change quickly made Erangel a fan-favorite once again, for the many players who opted into faster-paced Sanhok matches, in order to avoid the 10-minute search for an assault rifle on Erangel.

For someone who plays this map on a regular basis, these updates to textures, shadows, and lighting look incredible. With so many new details, the game appears much more complete. We were only given a brief look into the visual update, but that hasn’t stopped fans from picking apart the video.

Luckily fans won’t have to spend too much time speculating. The Erangel visual update will be applied to Test Servers tonight at 8:00 PM PDT for PUBG Partners to create their own custom matches. The developers have given their partners a 48-hour head start on the rest of the community to try out the invigorated map.

This is considered Phase 1 of their operation plan to test the visual update and its new features. The list of partners includes a variety of Twitch Streamers and current National PUBG League professionals. So, find your favorite and keep a look out for their stream.

During Phase 2 of testing, public matches will become available for 72 hours in addition to the partners custom matches. While this update came as a surprise, it’s nice that fans will be able to quickly jump in and provide their feedback. PUBG Corp. specifies their “operation plan” and schedule below:

"PC Test Server Availability: 6/6 8:00 p.m. – 6/11 8:00 p.m. (PDT)Operation plans by phasePhase 1: 6/6 8:00 p.m. PDT ~ 6/8 8:00 p.m. PDT (48 hours)Partner Custom Matches onlyOnly the updated Erangel and normal Custom Match mode are availableOnly official PUBG partners from each region can create Custom Match sessions, but all players can join the lobby to playPhase 2: 6/8 8:00 p.m PDT ~ 6/11 8:00 p.m PDT (72 hours)Public and Partner Custom Matches availableOnly the updated Erangel map is available. Quick Join is also available.Squad mode only. FPP only in North America and TPP only on Asia servers.All players can participate"

Outside of the visual update, the most prominent change is certainly the new ledge-grab feature. This is something that not many players were concerned with, but considering the countless times you’ve probably missed a ledge by an inch and grated your face down the outside, it should be very useful.

I’m excited to see all of the new strange places I will be unexpectedly killed from after this feature is implemented. Similar to when the vaulting feature was introduced and players were now able to climb into spots not previously possible.

It was also announced that a new amphibious vehicle named the BRDM will be added. This new vehicle will replace the armored UAZ players receive when launching a flare from outside of the playable zone. It will be interesting to see how strong the vehicle is, and what players counter it’s maneuverability with.

Among the features mentioned, new blue zone circles will be tested on Erangel. With the first zone circle being smaller than before, and slower moving circles as the game progresses. This is something you need to try before commenting on, so I look forward to testing this out soon.

PUBG Corp. has done a wonderful job in this Development Update, providing a glimpse into the hard work happening behind the scenes. It’s another step in the right direction for PUBG, and the community that has continually supported the game couldn’t be more excited for the future.