PUBG Mobile 0.16.0 update ushers in a chilling terrain with Winter Festival

(Image credit: PUBG Mobile)

PUBG Mobile 0.16.0 update is rolling out to users across the globe with two new classic mode features and a new RageGear EvoGround mode. Tencent has started seeding the update from December 11, and servers won't be taken down for maintenance. The update is 0.67GB in size, both for Android and iOS users.

However, the devs recommend players to update the game as soon as it's available as the matchmaking won't let players on two different versions of the gameplay together. Moreover, all users who update PUBG Mobile before December 17 are entitled to receive 50 Silver coins, 2,888 Battle Points (BP), and a 3-day Winter Dress. 

PUBG Mobile 0.16.0: RageGear EvoGround Mode

(Image credit: PUBG Mobile)

With the new 0.16.0 update, PUBG Mobile gets a new EvoGround mode-- RageGear where players will have to destroy enemy vehicles to win the round. In this mode, players will spawn randomly as drivers or shooters into two teams. A Gatling, Shotgun, and RPG are mounted on vehicles, and even the driver can fire the weapons while driving.

The team is rewarded with 1 point for each takedown of the enemy vehicles, and the team to reach the target score will win the round. Players will also have to collect Point Crates to win the round.

PUBG Mobile 0.16.0: Snow Paradise mode, feature updates

(Image credit: PUBG Mobile)

PUBG Mobile also gets a Snow Paradise mode in the Classic mode where players will be able to visit the snow-capped areas of Erangel. The Stalber peak is snow-capped along with a patch of land between Pochinki, School, Ruins, and Hospital. 

Interestingly, devs have left it up to players as to how they want to play the game near this area with the addition of freestyle snowboarding. The users can also ski down these snow-capped regions or take the cable cars to go up the range. 

Players can also switch between TPP and FPP modes of gameplay while still in the map, and this option has been added to the Classic, Arcade modes, and on Training grounds.

Another major update is how players heal in the classic mode, which has been tweaked. Now, users will be able to apply medical items, including Med Kits, Painkillers, Energy Drinks, Bandages, First Aid Kits, and Adrenaline Syringes, among others. Also, players can now use bandages to heal simultaneously when restoring health.

PUBG Mobile 0.16.0 update: Changelog

EvoGround - Loadout:

- Added a Loadout feature. Players can now enter the Armory system from the Team Deathmatch Selection screen and access the Inventory screen to edit the weapon and items they bring into the match. Loadouts can be switched freely when entering Team Deathmatch and when respawning.

- The variety of weapons that you can use in the loadout increases along with your Evo Level. Each firearm has its own mastery level, which players can raise to unlock more attachments.

- The firearms, ammo and other resources that are generated at the spawn point in the Team Deathmatch map will be removed. By default, all firearms that are dropped when an enemy is killed in Team Deathmatch will have all attachments.

Backpack Ornament:

- Same ornament is used for Level 1, 2 and 3 backpacks of the same type.
- Ornaments sway naturally after they are hung on a backpack.

Spectator tier restrictions:

- Low-tier players will no longer be able to spectate high-tier players
- Prevent cheaters from benefiting illegally from this feature.

Friendly fire kill restrictions:

- Players can choose to prevent the teammate who knocks them out or kills them, from picking up their items in Death Crates.
- Report a teammate for friendly fire to stop the responsible teammate from performing further actions during the current match.

Slide settings:

- Added a sliding setting feature.
- The sliding feature can be enabled/disabled in Settings.
- Once it is disabled, sliding will not be triggered in Team Deathmatch the actions of Classic mode will be maintained.

Theme Gallery:

- The Gallery will display resources from the last 2 seasons to make it easier for players to collect and search for things.
- Players will receive a reward once they collect all items in the Theme Gallery.

Playing again after the match is done:

- After solo players complete a match, they can invite their teammates to play another game.
- Those who accept the invitation will return to the Lobby automatically and team up with the player.

Adding friends after the match is done:

- After completing a match, players can tap and use the Invite Friend feature under their own Avatar in the results page.
- When the invite friend feature is used, teammates will see the invitations sent by players.
- Teammates can directly add players as a friend without waiting for the player to verify it again.

Auto-Buffering features:

- Enable the auto-buffering feature in Settings to automatically detect the combat frame rate.
- If the frame rate is too low, it will help players lower the graphics quality of the match for smooth combat experience.

Rooms:

- Added RageGear mode to rooms.

Pack download reward:

- Added a map download reward guide. Download to collect the corresponding rewards.

Achievements:

- Added achievements related to the reporting of plug-ins and RageGear.

Classic mode - Firearm balancing:

- Bolt action sniper rifles: Damage to the torso increased by 30%, from 1.0 to 1.3.
- AWM: Bullet damage lowered slightly from 132 to 120.
- SMG: Damage to the torso increased by 5% and damage to the limbs increased by 5%.
- Crossbow: Damage to the torso increased by 40%, from 1.0 to 1.4, and damage to the limbs increased by 20% from 1.0 to 1.2.
- S12K: Damage of each bullet increased from 22 to 24.
- Sawed-off shotgun: Damage of each shot fired increased from 20 to 22.
- S686/S1897: Damage of each bullet increased from 24 to 26.
- Shotguns: Maximum traveling distance of shots decreased from 1,000m to 150m.
- Duckbill: Changed "increased the horizontal spread of shotgun bullets and reduced vertical spread" to "increased the vertical spread of shotgun bullets and reduced horizontal spread".

Improvements to the BRDM-2:

- When players are already in the vehicle, only teammates can get in.
- Players from other teams cannot get in.

Leaning improvements:

- Improved the angle when leaning to the left to give players a better vantage point.

Performance improvements:

- Further reduced lag in Team Deathmatch.
- Improved the rendering resource usage for high-spec models in TDM.
- Reduced resource usage for some high-spec models.
- Improved the basic frame rate of some low-spec models to increase smoothness.
- Further reduced the resource usage of various models in battle.
- Smoothness when rotating the camera, opening scope and moving through the map has been improved.
- Reduced the loading time required for some Android devices to enter battle.

Actions:

- Optimized the switching between different actions to make actions look smoother and more natural when switching between them quickly.

Settings:

- Customizable settings of Team Deathmatch are now separate from Infection mode settings.
- Players can set different UIs for Classic mode, Team Deathmatch, and Infection.

Outfit selection:

- Improved outfit selection to select the gender before the facial shape, hair color and other parameters.

Improvements to the sharing screen:

- Higher quality items shared are now highlighted.

Improvements to the Lab:

- Optimized the Lab to reduce lag.

Siddharth Chauhan
Siddharth Chauhan is the Consumer Technology Reporter at Digit India. He used to work as an Assistant Editor at TechRadar India