PUBG's getting two new maps and a Miramar remaster
Fried and tested.
That's right, PUBG is getting another batch of fresh maps this year, as the dev team has unveiled its 2021 dev plan - and it includes two brand new locations along with a remaster for Miramar.
The first of these changes is the upcoming Miramar remaster, which is being rolled out in patch 12.1 (now live on PC test servers). Miramar has been tweaked and revamped before, but this time it's getting a "much larger remastering", using the technology used to improve other maps like Sanhok to tweak the "lighting, performance, graphical fidelity, topography, and of course special features".
Players can also expect to find "overhauls to terrain and building textures and layouts, easier traversal with the removal of unnecessary obstacles, and even updated cliffs to better fit in the more vertical experience the game has become". PUBG Corp provided a helpful before and after so you can see exactly what the improvements will look like:
The dev plan also details that players can expect two new 8x8 maps over the next year, which will be comparable in size to original map Erangel and desert-themed map Miramar. It's the first time in three years that PUBG Corp has released a map of this size, and now we're getting two.
The first of these, called Tiger, will feature the ability to respawn squadmates - along with "new features never seen before in PUBG". There's no date for when this one will launch, but it's set to follow the Miramar remaster.
The second map, called Kiki, looks extremely urban - far more than any of PUBG's previous maps. It's set to boast a "diverse set of locations, from mysterious underground labs to massive skyscrapers to swampland to subways to underwater buildings". Apparently the planning for Kiki is still "pretty early", but we'll hear more information about it later this year, and we can expect the map to launch in either late 2021 or early 2022.
As for patch 12.1, the changes don't stop with the Miramar remaster. There's a new gun called the Lynx AMR which is "PUBG's first anti-materiel rifle", in other words, "a semi-automatic crate gun capable of damaging military equipment and armor, in addition to players and vehicles". That certainly sounds intimidating. It's a care package weapon for Miramar that's intended to be a hard counter to vehicles, and is even capable of destroying BRDMs - but you only get five bullets, so make them count.
Speaking of vehicles, the new Quad vehicle for Miramar will provide players with a nifty off-road option. It's capable of carrying two players, but I certainly wouldn't pit it against the Lynx AMR - that sounds like a recipe for disaster rather than chicken dinners.
The patch also brings a number of tweaks to the UI, a new weapon skin upgrade system, and a new way of purchasing items called the Scrap Shop, so it's worth browsing through the full patch notes. One final stand-out is that PUBG's controversial bots are getting further AI improvements, which should hopefully make them behave a little more like real players than before. The patch is already live on PC test servers, and is due to roll out to live servers sometime next week.