The 29.1 update for PUBG: Battlegrounds has gone live, at least on PC, and it’s added destructible terrain, a new pickaxe weapon, and a Ducati crossover.
Destructible terrain is the most noteworthy inclusion since it opens up new strategies. One example publisher Krafton has given is making trenches you can use to avoid enemy fire. You can alter the terrain with some throwable items, like the Frag Grenade, and vehicle explosions, but also a new pickaxe weapon, which I’m sure will elicit some Fortnite comparisons. Any terrain made from concrete, cement, rock, or stone, though, can’t be destroyed, so you can’t go ham and blow everything up.
These new additions are also exclusive to the Rondo map, which was recently added to PUBG: Battlegrounds this past December. The 2024 roadmap Krafton published in March did say only some environmental destruction features would be added in April, “with continuous improvements and expansions to follow,” so we’ll hopefully see this brought to other maps later down the line. Destructible environments have always been a cool feature; it’s been an iconic aspect of EA’s Battlefield series and is being pushed as one of the main features of upcoming team shooter Marvel Rivals.
The other big inclusion is a new collaboration. Whereas Fortnite has recently added characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender, PUBG: Battlegrounds has gone with something completely different and partnered with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati. By collecting Ducati Tokens from Step Up Package and Loot Cache Packs, you can unlock Ducati themed vehicle skins. These packs are already available for purchase on PC, and will come to consoles on April 18, but only for four weeks or so. This means you have until May 8 (on PC) and May 16 (on consoles) before they vanish.
As for the Rondo map itself, it has seen some changes following its addition to ranked play. For instance, the EMP Zone won’t occur as frequently, and the number of Emergency Cover airdrops deployed after using the Emergency Cover Flare has been reduced from three to two. Krafton has more detailed patch notes over on its website, with all these updates scheduled to come to the console versions of PUBG: Battlegrounds next week on April 18.
