PUBG: Battlegrounds is changing the rules around player deaths in the battle royale, bringing a new revive system to the game called Recall. The mechanic will let players respawn a dead teammate, and will help “alleviate the sense of frustration felt upon death during team play,” PUBG: Battlegrounds developer PUBG Studios says.
PUBG Studios is also bringing official clan support to PUBG: Battlegrounds with patch 23.2.
PUBG: Battlegrounds’ new Recall system is mostly straightforward, and comes with the necessary amount of risk and rarity that such an impactful change warrants. Here’s how it works: Players need to acquire an item called the Blue Chip dropped by a player’s deathbox in order to revive them. They then need to take that chip to a Blue Chip Tower location, or use a rare item called a Transmitter, in order to Recall their dead teammate back to the battlefield. Players can snatch enemies’ Blue Chips from a deathbox to prevent them from being respawned.
Image: PUBG Studios/Krafton
Recall is initially limited to PUBG: Battlegrounds’ larger maps: Erangel, Miramar, and Deston. The full breakdown of rules related to Recall, Blue Chip Towers, and Transmitters can be read in Krafton’s official patch notes. The feature goes fully live on PC on May 17 and on consoles on May 25.
The other major feature in patch 23.2 is Clans, which offers PUBG: Battlegrounds players a new level progression system. Up to 100 players can join a clan, which offers XP and Battle Points (BP) bonuses when playing with clanmates. Starting a clan requires Plus Status and costs 15,000 BP, but joining one is effectively free.
In an email interview with PUBG Studios production directors Taehyun Kim and Sangkyun Kim, the developers explained more about the impact of Recall and Clans on PUBG: Battlegrounds. That interview follows.
Polygon: What led to the decision to implement Recall? Was this a technical challenge for the team?
Taehyun Kim: We chose to introduce the new Recall system, akin to Comeback BR, to offer a second chance to those who are eliminated early in a match and to reduce the frustration often associated with death during team play. We hope that Recall will foster more dynamic, strategic gameplay with increased variables, and provide a wider range of gameplay experiences.
Unlike Comeback BR, where you must secure your own second chance, the opportunity to rejoin the game in Recall is entirely dependent on your remaining teammates. Their role is crucial in this system, which we believe will make gameplay more approachable, particularly for less experienced players.
Have you seen Recall alter the flow or outcome of matches in testing?
Taehyun Kim: In our internal tests, we frequently observed scenarios where a nearly defeated team managed to have all its teammates rejoin the game, subsequently delivering strong performances.
We also noticed more dynamic and strategic gameplay scenarios occurring near Blue Chip Towers. For instance, a team attempting to recall a teammate would sometimes end up entirely eliminated after a fierce battle near the tower. Alternatively, enemies would specifically target a player who had just been recalled.
About how many Blue Chip Towers spawn per phase or match?
Taehyun Kim: Blue Chip Towers will spawn randomly across the map, with approximately 22 towers appearing regardless of the phase or match.
However, your ability to use these towers will depend on the plane path and the location of the circle.
What are the rules around Blue Chip Transmitters spawning? How common are they?
Taehyun Kim: The Blue Chip Transmitter is a high-value item, so its occurrence on the map will be extremely rare. If luck doesn’t favor the players, it’s possible that no one will be able to use it during an entire match. Its rarity is comparable to that of the Flare Gun.
The Clan system feels like a huge boost to players’ XP/BP earning — why such a high incentive?
Sangkyun Kim: Clan benefits are provided when you play as a team with your clan members. By playing together, you’ll receive a double XP bonus, which helps increase your clan level more quickly, as well as a 30% BP boost.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is more enjoyable when played collectively, which is why we decided to develop the Clan system, making it easier for players to find teammates.
In order to facilitate this, we provide various incentives to encourage players to play with their clan members. Playing together earns you Clan XP as a clan member and a BP boost as an individual player. This arrangement is designed to benefit both the clan and individual players.
To clarify further, Clan XP is used solely to elevate the clan level, not Survival Mastery. The level of Survival Mastery is a measure of an individual player’s reputation and honor, so we decided not to include it in the Clan benefits.
Do you have a roadmap for future Clan development?
Sangkyun Kim: While we haven’t made any specific decisions yet, there are a few ideas we’d like to explore.
The current Clan system is built with the minimum possible specifications because we needed to introduce it quickly. Thus, we plan to implement features in the future that we had to initially exclude, such as an advanced Clan Search feature.
We also believe that the sustainability of a clan hinges on whether its members can cultivate a sense of belonging. With this in mind, we’re considering various enjoyable elements that could potentially strengthen this sense of community among clan members.