PUBG Season 10 adds a new urban map with a focus on verticality and AI combatants

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Season 10 has been detailed ahead of its PC launch on December 16 and console release the following day.

The battle royale game’s new map, Haven, is the headline feature of its 10.1 update, which is now available to preview on the PC test server.

Billed as PUBG’s most dense battleground yet, it’s a 1km by 1km map which sees 32 players dropping into an urban setting offering plenty of verticality across different zones including steelworks, coal yards, residential areas and docks.

Season 10 also introduces a new AI enemy called The Pillar, a group of military contractors whose goal is to guard Haven’s high-tier loot caches.

It does so aided by a helicopter that roams the map looking for players. Once located, the helicopter calls in back-up in the form of a heavily armoured tactical truck kitted out with high-powered guns.

To help aid their escape, players are equipped with an emergency parachute which can be used to descend from a variety of elevated environments, such as tall buildings and cranes.

In an interview with Polygon published on Wednesday, recently appointed PUBG creative director Dave Curd said 2021 is likely to see the introduction of more large-scale maps that highlight the survival element he feels sets the game apart from other titles.

“That’s where PUBG separates itself from all the other great games out there is the downtime,” he said. “The tension between the survival phase and the gunfights. Whether you guys are kind of getting into shenanigans and doing bike jumps, or kind of stoically looting a field in the middle of nowhere. Larger worlds is what provides that.

“I think that Erangel/Miramar 8-by-8, perhaps even larger, that seems to really be the sweet spot,” Curd added. “So that’s something that we’re really looking forward to bringing back to players next year.”

Curd took over the role of creative director from PUBG creator Brendan Greene, who’s currently working on an original IP which will be the debut title from PlayerUnknown Productions.

Further reading

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