PUBG’s latest update adds dynamic weather and performance optimizations

A brand new update is live on the test servers for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and it brings some pretty cool changes.

A brand new update is live on the test servers for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and it brings some pretty cool changes.

In last December’s 1.0 update, PUBG Corp removed rain and fog as weather conditions from the game. Now, dynamic weather is making a return, albeit with some less dramatic effects.

Both Erangel and Miramar will be getting a taste of the dynamic weather system introduced for Sanhok. Most matches will still be sunny, but if you load into a game with cloudy skies, you should “expect the unexpected.” In this case, the unexpected is light fog or rain.

Erangel has also received a slight improvement with small clusters of houses being added in some areas, which can be seen in the image below. More houses and places to loot can only be a good thing.

In the only gameplay change of the update, bullet penetration is now applied to arms and hands. This means that if a player somehow blocks a bullet with their hand, it will penetrate and deal damage to more vulnerable body parts behind it. For example, if a player’s arm or hands takes a bullet while blocking the head, the full headshot damage will be applied.

The other main highlights of the update are all performance-related. PUBG Corp says it has improved the game’s frame rate by optimizing weapons not currently held in hand, level streaming has been enhanced, smoke and flames from vehicles have been optimized, and server performance has been improved by adjusting the replication rate.

You can read the full patch notes on Steam, or queue up the game’s test server and try it out for yourself right now. It’s due to hit the live servers on Aug. 8.