PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds continues to add new mechanics as Season 8 winds down. Two major new features are currently live on the test server and will make their way to the live branch with PUBG update 8.3: a brand new ferry service on Erangel and the long-teased jammer pack that temporarily protects wearers from blue zone damage.
Erangel’s new docks will soon have a practical use – they’re where you’ll be able to board ferries that take you to Sosnovka Island and back if you’d rather avoid the long truss bridge, which has long been a playground for snipers. There are two routes with two ferries each, and you’ll have 20 seconds to board them once they’ve docked. They’ll sound a horn seven seconds prior to arrival and departure.
If you’re playing on the Karakin or Sanhok maps, keep an eye out for the Jammer Pack. This looks like part of a level three bag with a radio strapped to the upper portion of the frame, and wearing it gives you some brief protection from blue zone damage.
It’ll activate as soon as you’re inside a blue zone, and you’ll see an energy bar appear on the screen when it flips on. That’ll decay faster as blue zone damage gets higher, and once you’re out of energy, the pack is usable only as a normal bag.
The Jammer Pack is a rare loot spawn that can also be found in the loot truck on Sanhok.
PUBG’s developers have previously hinted that Update 8.3 will be more “PvE than PvP” focused, and this is likely what they mean – although it’s unclear from the patch notes whether you’ll be able to sink the ferries. The Jammer Pack introduces some interesting possibilities for blue zone strategy – sprinting and stimming through the circles has long been a tactic in battle royale games, and this could offer some new possibilities in how that’s timed. Stay tuned!