New PUBG Map Includes A Gulag-Style Return System
Just like in comic books, death isn't always the end in the world of video games. There's nothing worse than jumping into a match of your favourite battle royale game, only to be hit in the opening minutes and having to sit the rest of the game out while watching from the sidelines. Thankfully, PlayUnknown's Battlegrounds has come up with a way to combat this. Hmmmm, doesn't it look a little familiar?
Although PUBG is held by many as the OG battle royale game, it's since been pushed to the periphery of the market by the likes of Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends.
Alongside the esports scene helping keep PUBG alive, Valve's continuous updates have bolstered the game's player base. With the introduction of a new map and a Gulag-inspired return system, this is one of PUBG's biggest yet.
What is PUBG's Gulag system?
As of June 30, PUBG's update 12.2 has gone live on PC test servers and brought Taego into the game. Taego is the first 8x8 map since Miramar, but offers up plenty of differences. Taking us to Korea and giving memories of Erangel, the terrain mixes metropolitan and rural locales, littered through housing compounds and densely populated towns.
Taego is a testing ground for a number of new features - with it holding host to the game's first wildlife in the form of two species of birds. Flying friends are all well and good for helping locate where enemies are, but the real talking point is the Comeback BR mechanic.
We're guessing Taego will become the go-to, as jumping into the map in squads give you a second chance following your first elimination. If you're knocked down in the first Blue Zone phase, you're transported to the Comeback Arena, where you can duke it out to rejoin the match.
Is PUBG's Gulag system the same as Warzone?
At first glance, there are sure to be some raised eyebrows that Valve has just copied Activision's Gulag that has helped Call of Duty: Warzone players. Here, your first death takes you the prison-inspired Gulag where you and another fallen comrade fight to be last one standing and jump back into the main game. Taego's Comeback Arena works a little differently.
Playing out more like a mini version of the main match, the Comeback Arena tasks you with staying alive (again) for a certain amount of time. If you make it to the end, you'll be plopped back into Taego in Phase 3. Better yet, you'll rejoin your squad with all your gear and items intact. The Comeback Arena doesn't feature AI bots, and if you die again, you'll be sent back to the main menu. Not everyone was a fan though, with Team SoloMid's DananucD branding it a disappointment.
If this wasn't enough in terms of giving you a second shot at victory, the update 12.2 has also added a self-revive mechanic. The Self AED is also exclusive to Taego and appears as loot around the map. Pick it up and simply revive yourself from a DBNO state in solo or squads.
PUBG's very own take on the Gulag comes in the wake of developers asking players what features they'd like to see. Some five years after the game first barged its way onto the battlefield of competitive shooters, it's great to see PUBG isn't afraid of change. We'll have to wait and see whether Comeback Arena is a well-received feature that rolls out to the rest of the game or whether it's confined to its very own Gulag.
