Update 29.1 goes live with tomorrow’s server maintenance and brings one of the prominent features from PUBG’s 2024 roadmap—destructible terrain. One of the biggest questions was how usable this feature was actually going to be. According to the developers, the maximum depth of destruction is set at 1.3 meters (a little over four feet).
It won’t provide complete cover when standing but should be deep enough when crouched. Here’s a screenshot of what a player looks like crouch walking inside a trench created via destructible terrain.
In the patch notes, the developers clarify that only soft ground can be manipulated. “Terrain made of concrete, cement, rock, or stone is not destructible,” the devs write in the patch notes.
The devs said this new feature was added to help address the lack of cover in certain situations.
“We’ve all had moments of frustration when we faced enemies in areas with limited cover. The Destructible Terrain feature we’re introducing with this update was designed to provide a breakthrough in such situations. As outlined in our roadmap, our goal is to go beyond mere environmental destruction and open up new strategies and tactics.”
The dev team also says they plan to continue working on and expanding this feature in future updates.
A new pickaxe melee weapon is also being introduced alongside destructible terrain. The brief gameplay in today’s trailer shows the pickaxe making slow work of the terrain.
But explosives will also do the trick according to the devs. The following can be used to destroy terrain:
- Frag Grenade
- Mortar
- Panzerfaust
- Sticky Bomb
- C4
- Vehicle Explosion
It would be cool if the red zone (which drops bombs) also affected the terrain. It would give it something to do besides be annoying. That is, once this feature is on all maps. So far, it’ll be only on Rondo at launch.
This week’s update includes some tweaks to a handful of weapons as well. The AKM and SCAR-L both receive small buffs.
SCAR-L
- Rate of fire: 625 RPM → 650 RPM
- Horizontal recoil decreased by approximately 4%.
- Vertical recoil decreased by approximately 4%.
AKM
- Damage: 47→ 48
The MK12 is now slightly louder when using it suppressed. And the Panzerfaust gets an equipping animation so players can no longer fire it instantly when picking it up or switching to it.
The big feature with Update 29.1 is the destructible terrain. I hope it gives us some more options in late-game situations. There’s nothing worse than watching the final circle shift away from you and there’s only open fields between you and the last team.
Server maintenance is expected to begin tomorrow night (April 9) at 8:00 pm EST and last for about eight hours.