This Friday, after months of testing, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will finally be releasing their long awaited third map, Sanhok. According to the developers, it is roughly one fourth the size of Erangel and Miramar but poised to be twice as dangerous. With higher spawn rates for all AR’s, SMG’s & DMR’s and a new AR coming in to the fray… I have no doubt it will be an even crazier experience than what we’re used to.
Sanhok isn’t just a map with the same rules applied on Erangel or Miramar. It comes with massive differences such as:
- Dynamic Weather
- Smaller, shorter red zone
- The centre of the red zone is based outside the (white) play zone.
- Shorter wait times but longer travel times for the blue zone.
- Dynamic blue zone, meaning it checks player numbers before deciding the waiting and travel time of the blue zone.
- Higher spawn rate of AR’s, DMR’s and SMG’s
- 15x and 8x scopes do not spawn in the world, only obtained through crate drops
- SCAR-L world spawn is replaced by the Sanhok exclusive AR, the QBZ95
The Dynamic Weather system is the big change here and will no doubt serve as a test for weather changes in the first two maps also. However, the newly introduced Dynamic blue zone will serve as an interesting addition to the gameplay on Sanhok purely for its added inpredictability in matches.
Now, let’s have a quick rundown of what areas really catch my eye and where I will be dropping for the maximum amount of carnage & therefore the most amount of fun.
Training Centre
This is my pick to be the “school” of Sanhok. With rooftops to access, plenty of cover and plenty of people dropping in for the best loot… Training Centre is shaping up to be the most hardcore experience on the map and that’s where you’ll see me!
Quarry
An open area, bugger all cover and a stunning view of the lush green surroundings. You better believe this is going to be a crazy fight for survival and only those with a good trigger finger will make it out. Pack your nappies, because shit is about to get real in the Quarry.
Paradise Resort
I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to use an Elephant statue as cover during battle. Paradise Resort looks to have it all, close quarters combat, sufficient cover for epic back & forth battles and plenty of opportunities to get my trusty Kar98 some more notches on its stock.
There are obviously more areas to cover in Sanhok but you will have to find your own favourites and let all of us know on the GameOnAus Facebook page what you prefer!
Now let’s get in to the nitty gritty of the SCAR-L replacing, Sanhok exclusive AR, the QBZ95. It is a 5.56 automatic rifle replacing the widely popular SCAR-L. It is a Chinese built weapon, built specifically for the Chinese military and also some of their law agencies. It is a world spawn, can fit all AR attachments and appears to have the same rate of fire as the M416. Here’s hoping you don’t end up being on the wrong side of this one… She’s naaaasty!
You will also notice a change in your parachute, advertising the PUBG Global Invitational in Berlin. These same advertisements will be around billboards and buildings on Erangel & Miramar before and during the event. You can hide the parachute skin if you have the Bengal Tiger skin applied.
Along with a new map and new gun we’re also getting somewhat of an overhaul with the UI. Some will find this frustrating, but the map choice between Erangel and Miramar has been changed in to “Playlists”. Now you can choose between Battle Royale, which is a combination of Erangel and Miramar, or Mini Royale, which is just Sanhok. I’m not entirely sure I agree with what they’re doing here but I can also understand why they’ve done it. They can’t split their player base across 3 different maps because it will make matchmaking take a lot longer and no one wants that.
The other side of me also wants to whinge because Miramar is just so bad. It’s far too camper friendly, the land mass is incredibly difficult to traverse across without sliding down a hill to a stupid death and even after their big update there aren’t enough vehicles to justify a long drop for new players. Here’s hoping they’ll continue to improve Miramar, or at an extreme level, get rid of it altogether.
Other UI changes also include an easier to view blue zone indicator above the minimap, friends list UI has been improved and the minimap now dynamically zooms in/out depending on the speed you are travelling at the time. Inventory, map and the results window have also been improved. You can even celebrate your chicken dinner victories with an 8 second window to play emotes! I’m praying to the PUBG gods for a middle finger emote. Ahhh.. One day!
All in all, I think this massive update is going to be good for PUBG. I can never complain about having a new map to explore and spend time figuring out neat little strategies for me & my mates to get our much loved chicken dinners. As always, let us know what you think of the new map and this article on the GameOnAus Facebook page!
A detailed view on every specific change coming in the new update can be found from the developers here.
See you out in the battlegrounds of Sanhok! Bring chicken!
