Update 9.2 for the popular online multiplayer battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was released recently, and a few of the introduced changes have come together to create a perfect storm of potential carnage.
First, a new vehicle, the single-seater dirt bike was introduced. This lightweight motorcycle has improved suspension for off-roading and great maneuverability to allow for hard turns while maintaining momentum. Then came the long-requested feature that would allow players to fire sidearms while driving vehicles in PUBG. And, lastly, developer PUBG Corporation overhauled aiming for both drivers and passengers while shooting from a moving vehicle, adding greater stabilization and adjusting cameras to allow for improved accuracy.
The result of the changes added in Update 9.2 is a Reddit user going by the name of awmaLLama, who successfully took down 16 other players with only a P1911 pistol and won the game. Granted, awmaLLama didn’t only make use of the new PUBG dirt bike. The player wreaked havoc in a variety of vehicles and came close to death a number of times, but ultimately brought home the coveted chicken dinner.
The P1911 is modeled after the Colt M1911A1 and is one of the more common sidearms in PUBG. It packs a decent punch but, in its default state, that damage can be hampered by the small magazine size and rapid damage falloff. Adding a sight as well as an extended or extended quickdraw magazine, which nearly doubles the amount of ammo the pistol holds, can greatly increase the usefulness of the weapon.
Some viewers of awmaLLama’s posted Reddit video weren’t happy that it’s now possible to achieve such feats in PUBG and others insisted that the player must have been using a bot. Others defended the update, stating that anybody who works on developing the skill to hit moving vehicles should not be too inconvenienced by the changes. Some things, such as the fact that the pistol has almost no recoil when fired from a vehicle, may need to be tweaked though.
In addition to adding the new dirt bike, vehicle shooting, and tweaking stabilization and aiming accuracy, a number of other balance adjustments were made to sidearms in PUBG. The damage multipliers for headshots and limb strikes were increased incrementally, and the aim deviation multiplier while using a laser sight was likewise increased. Players are also now able to move faster while aiming, and decreased weapon sway while moving should result in better accuracy when on the run. A number of sidearms also benefited from boosted damage, an improved rate of fire, or reduced spread.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is available on mobile, PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.