PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS has received update 42.3, marking the start of a new phase in changing the game's meta. The developers decided to make light machine guns more desirable, added a new weapon — the RPD — and made changes to firing from vehicles.
In addition, the update brought a new PUBG: Playgrounds section, expanded control settings, sight customization, bot improvements, and a whole host of other changes.
New Meta and Improved Machine Guns
One of the main features of version 42.3 is the first meta rotation. Roughly every four months, the developers plan to focus on a specific weapon category to diversify gameplay.
The first category is light machine guns.
Their main problem was strong recoil and long reload times. Now, reloading for all machine guns is about 25% faster, and maximum recoil force has been reduced by about 30%.
At the same time, the weapons retain their characteristic style of firing in long bursts.
RPD — PUBG's New Weapon
Along with the update, the RPD has appeared in PUBG — the game's first new machine gun in almost two years.
The RPD uses 7.62mm ammunition, deals 43 damage, and has a rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute. The standard magazine holds 50 rounds, but its capacity can be increased to 110.
The weapon is designed for sustained automatic fire and is especially good for suppressing enemies.
Meanwhile, the M249 retains its advantages thanks to a higher rate of fire and bullet velocity. The RPD and M249 now offer different playstyles for machine guns.
Firing from Vehicles is Now Harder
The developers have also changed shooting while moving.
Now, a player must fully lean out of a vehicle's window before opening fire. Additionally, there is an added delay, and shooting accuracy depends on the vehicle's speed.
Spread increases from 10% to 20%, and the recoil penalty — from 20% to 30% at high speed.
Thus, the developers want to make firing from a fast-moving vehicle less effective and reduce the advantage of players accustomed to accurate fire on the move.
Hybrid Sight
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The size of the crosshair when hip-firing has been reduced.
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The volume of the sight-switching sound has been increased.
Editor Improvements
On PC, a new PUBG: Playgrounds section has appeared, dedicated to custom game modes.
Players can now find and launch community-created modes through the matchmaking system.
The editor also received several useful improvements. A team selection interface has been added, where players can choose their side before a match starts.
Furthermore, separate match results and status screens have been added. They allow tracking team ratings, win counts, and points scored by players.
This should make custom modes more convenient for both creators and regular players.
POBG — A Mini-Game During Maintenance
For PC players, the developers added a small easter egg — POBG.
This is a mini-game available during server maintenance. It has normal and hard modes, and the best scores are saved separately.
The records are stored directly on the player's computer. If the servers become available again during a playthrough, the current game can be finished.
Blue Zone and Vehicle Changes
The system for setting up blue zone locations in custom matches has been reworked.
A scale from 0 to 1 is now used: the closer the value is to zero, the closer to the center of the map the zone can appear. Values near one, conversely, shift it closer to the edges.
Possible blue zone spawn points were also revised to remove some inconvenient and unfair positions.
Some vehicles also received changes. The durability of the Coupe RB, Dacia, and Mirado was increased from 900 to 1000 units.
New Settings and Customization
Update 42.3 significantly expanded personalization options.
The settings menu received a new interface, improved parameter descriptions, and side navigation. Default values can now be quickly restored for individual parameters.
The ability to choose between "Toggle" and "Hold" modes has also been added for the inventory, minimap, throwable weapon wheel, healing, radio messages, and actions.
The keybinding system was separately reworked — new categories and additional actions have been added.
Sharing Settings
On PC, you can now create a special code to share your settings with other players.
It can be used to transfer sound, control, keybind, and gameplay settings. Graphics settings are not transferred, as they depend on the computer's configuration.
An unused code is valid for 90 days.
Sight Customization
Another notable addition is the ability to customize the appearance of your sight. Players can choose a ready-made option or create their own by changing the color, lines, dot, outline, thickness, and transparency.
Changes are displayed in real-time, so you can find a comfortable sight directly in the settings menu.
New Menu Background
Event and Crate Changes
The Event Center also received several improvements. Some missions can now be completed sequentially, and rewards can be previewed in advance.
Furthermore, with the September update, some crates will be removed from the game. Owners of the corresponding items will receive compensation.
For example:
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Archivist's Crate — 180 G-Coin;
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Survivor's Crate — 200 G-Coin;
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Hannah's Elite Parcel — 1950 G-Coin;
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Dorian's Elite Parcel — 1950 G-Coin.
Therefore, owners of these items should pay attention to the changes ahead of time.
New Survivor Pass
Update 42.3 also introduced a new "Survivor Pass: Summer Vacation".
It adds new rewards and items related to the August shop update.
The Bottom Line?
PUBG Update 42.3 brought quite a lot of changes, but the main event was the meta overhaul.
Machine guns received more comfortable recoil and faster reloads, and the arrival of the RPD gives players another option for sustained fire.
Simultaneously, the developers slightly limited firing from vehicles, added PUBG: Playgrounds, and a large number of new settings.
The ability to share settings, sight customization, and improved controls look especially useful.
Overall, update 42.3 doesn't just fix individual problems but gradually changes the familiar style of playing PUBG. And if machine guns rarely used to be players' first choice, after this patch, the situation could very well change.
