The devs are letting the community decide starting today. Now (September 20) through September 30, PUBG’s event mode is turning into a beta surrounding the flare gun. Should it become normal loot across all three maps? That’s the question the devs hope to answer at the end of the month.
For me, it’s not even a question. Add it. It gives folks who might rarely get airdrops a better chance at wielding the game’s best weapons. Plus, it pushes the action in the early to mid-game as players fight over two sets of top-end gear.
The flare gun mechanics we saw from the ‘Metal Rain’ event mode are still here. Using a flare inside the circle will call in a weapon/gear drop. Using it outside brings in an armored UAZ. PUBG is planning to replace the armored UAZ with “something special later this year.”
The number of weapons and gear from the air drops will change based on what mode you’re playing. Solo/duo matches will only have one set, while squads get two sets. This beta focuses on squad matches so two sets of weapons will be inside each package.
The devs are also tweaking the spawn rates of the flare gun. “Finding a flare gun should be a very rare thing as the potential rewards can be game-changing,” says the developer. We’ll see how rare the spawns are as the beta goes on. Hopefully, the devs are also tweaking how frequently flare guns can be used. Last event, there was only a set amount of drops (I think two?) per safe circle. Just let us use them as soon as we get it.
The risk/reward will also be even higher during the beta test. If a giant ass box floating in the sky wasn’t enough to tell you where it’s at, an icon will also appear on the map showing everyone where an airdrop has been dropped.
I hope PUBG ends up getting the flare gun in normal mode, with a couple of caveats.
First, the spawn rate has to be low. And it has to be spread out. Putting flare guns in hotspots will just make these places even busier and lead to bigger massacres that hurt the mid-game.
Second, don’t push silly mechanics that determine when we can use it. If there are four teams with flare guns across the map, let them all use it whenever they want. Don’t place arbitrary limits on how many planes can be dropping them at one time.
I always had fun playing the special flare gun event modes. Hearing that screech as the flare gun streaked across the sky never gets old. And knowing there’s probably an AWM tucked inside the package means I can’t resist fighting over it.
What do you think about the flare gun potentially becoming a normal spawn? Good idea? Bad idea?