PUBG adds dirt bikes, the ability to shoot while driving, and the 'battle bride pass'
Ring in the changes.
PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds' latest patch has arrived, bringing with it a new vehicle, the long-requested ability for players to shoot while driving, and something called the Bride Battle Pass.
The most anticipated aspect of this is undoubtedly the ability to fire sidearms while driving. This works with every vehicle apart from boats and the BRDM. The only real drawback seems to be slightly reduced vehicle response while reloading, but this is easily offset by a slew of buffs: both driver and passenger aiming cameras have been "heavily stabilised," and "all sidearms across the board have received improvements to damage multipliers, aiming, ADS movement speed, and more." The notes go on to add that "the goal is to make all secondary weapons more viable throughout the game, not just in vehicles" and the full list of changes can be seen here.
The Dirt Bike is a new vehicle that can hit 130km/h, and is super-maneuverable and particularly good, as you might expect, on off-road terrain. It only seats one rider, spawns on all maps except for Karakin, and will replace 50% of the existing bikes out there.
Finally, the piece de resistance... the Bride Battle Pass. Who else did a double-take the first time they read that? This is, of course, what happens when you try to retroactively create lore for a game like PUBG: you end up with "a young woman who slaughtered her enemies mercilessly to gain battle royale victory all while wearing the remains of a wedding gown."
A quite revealing wedding gown, naturally, with military straps resembling suspenders.
The character is called Sadiya, and this pass is all about unlocking her outfits. It's a surprisingly slight offering, with no missions associated with it: you buy it, then have 28 days to 'earn' outfits by going through 15 XP levels. It does not replace the Survivor Pass. I suppose, if players are gonna take PUBG's story seriously, they deserve what they get.
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Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."