PUBG Update 1.31 (5.3) Patch Notes

Gameplay

“Bloody realistic”

Blood effect improvement

The size of the blood splash is unified across all color settingsHeadshots including the neck area produce more distinct visual effect to ensure clear identification of hitBlood splatter will be shown on walls and floors if the character is hit near it. Wounds on characters will now provide more precise information on which body parts have been hit

Vending machine

Reduced the maximum number of vending machine uses from 15 to 10

Death Cam

Players can now view how they were killed with the new Death Cam feature!Death Cam button (PS4: Square / Xbox: X) will be activated a few seconds after death in the results screen.

Continuous Item Use option

Continuous item use of bandages, first aid kits, energy drinks and pain killers will be added as an option. Continuous Item Use will be provided as an option which can be set in SETTINGS - GAMEPLAYOnIf a player owns more than one of items listed above and can be used, using it once will allow the item to be used continuously. Bandages Only:Only bandages will be used continuously. OffNo items will be allowed to be used continuously. Regardless of this option, keeping action feature will be added. If multiple heal items can be used, holding onto the item use button will continuously use the item. Players do not have to press the item use every time they want to use the item.

Weapon Mastery

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”

Favorite Weapon

Players can now choose their “favorite weapon” in the mastery tabThe weapon of choice will show up as the first weapon stat in your PUBG ID, regardless of whether the weapon has the highest level or notClicking R-Stick(Xbox)/R3(PS4) while hovering over a weapon will “favorite” the weapon. Known Issue: Currently, the button guide will only be displayed in English. Other languages will be added in January. A gold star will show up next to a chosen weapon when a player favorites itPlayers can only favorite individual weapons and not categoriesThere can only be one favorite. That’s just logicalThe favorite weapon will always show up at the top of players’ list, even when the sorting feature is used

PUBG ID: Platform Identification

Players will now be able to see which platform the user is playing on via PUBG ID. Like cross platform play, there will be 3 ways to show platform icons. Xbox icon: Xbox players will be able to see players playing on Xbox with a Xbox icon. PlayStation icon: PlayStation players will be able to see players playing on PlayStation with a PlayStation icon. Common icon: Common icons will be shown on PUBG IDs of players playing on other platforms.

UI/UX

Lobby Theme

Lobby background will change to a HAPPY HOLIDAYS theme once the patch is updated on live serversTo set the winter mood, the lobby music has also been changed

Weapon HUD improvement

Heal and acceleration icons on the weapon HUD will now flash when activated

Performance

Cached data will be deleted when moving to lobby after a match is finished to reduce the rate of game crash.

Settings

Players cannot change the language while in a match.

World

All PGC signs and banners on Miramar have been removed

Survivor Pass: Badlands

The current season of both the Survivor Pass and Survival Title System will end on January 21 KSTSurvivor Pass: Starting January 1st, two weeks before the end period of Badlands, there will be an on-screen message, pop-up and countdown on the Survivor Pass banner in the lobby to notify players of the pass end timingPremium Pass and Level-up items can be purchased until the Pass period ends

Skins & Items

The following items will be added to the Store after Update #5.3 hits live servers:

Added 2 types of purchasable BattleStat Weapons (QBU and P1911)Added 2 types of BP Battlestat Weapons (SKS and P92)

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

Fixed an issue where the reticle would shake during ADS with a 6X scope equipped. Fixed an issue where character would move forcibly when firing DBS in certain situations. Fixed an issue where BRDM collision damage was higher than intended. Fixed an issue where a moving disconnected player’s character would float on air when disrupted by a prone character. Fixed an issue where vehicles would get stuck in tree branches in certain situations.

World

Mitigated an issue which causes players to be bumped into the air when moving close to certain objects.

UI/UX

Fixed an issue where only the ammo of one weapon is updated in the inventory when holding more than one weapon using the same ammo type. Fixed an issue where the character size would show incorrectly in lobby when moving to lobby after seeing preview of PGC 2019 bundle. Fixed an issue where character rendering is done late when changing gender while creating a character. Fixed an issue where item equipped icon and new item notification icon would appear at the same location in CUSTOMIZE menu. Fixed an issue where framerate priority and resolution priority option was displayed incorrectly in SETTINGS. (Xbox One X)Fixed an issue where accelerate buff icon was displayed incorrectly on weapon HUD. Fixed an issue where moving in the lobby was limited after certain actions were taken when in the Last Match report screen. Fixed an issue where healing message UI would disappear when system menu is opened while healing.

Skins and Items

Fixed an issue where [BATTLESTAT] Refined Mictlantecuhtli Groza kill count would not be displayed correctly. Fixed an issue where character thighs would be displayed incorrectly when certain skins are equipped.

The main features of console update 1.31 are, of course, the Death Cam, blood splatter improvements and weapon favoriting features. While the latter is just a cool way to fill out your player profile, the former actually has a major potential impact on gameplay. Now that trails can be seen in more places in more vivid ways, PUBG’s tracking aspects are greatly enhanced. Much like how player whereabouts on Vikendi can be estimated using footprints, now PUBG’s other maps have a means of locating enemies. The Death Cam, on the other hand, brings console versions of PUBG into the modern era of shooters by offering players more info about their death circumstances.

On the quality-of-life side of the equation, the continuous use option is a great one to have. Not only is it helpful for those who often use health items all at once, but it’s also a great accessibility feature too, as it reduces the amount of repeated button presses. Beyond that, fixing bugs with ADS and unintended character movement are a must. PUBG update 1.31, or version 5.3, isn’t the deepest update PUBG has seen, but it sure has some cool ideas.

PUBG is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4 and mobile. Today’s update is only for PS4 and Xbox One.

What are your thoughts on PUBG update 1.31? Are the new blood splatter effects exciting to you? Tell us in the comments section!