KRAFTON rolled out update 42.1 for PUBG: Battlegrounds, and the strangest bit is a short-lived experiment: a temporary mode called "Game with a Partner" that lets you drop into Sanhok with an AI teammate named Ella. Available on PC until July 1, the mode runs duos where Ella talks to you by voice, helps in fights, and sticks around for the whole round. Note: you’ll need an NVIDIA GPU at about RTX 2080 Ti or RTX 3060 level (e.g., 3060, 3070, etc.) to join the test.
The AI partner isn’t the whole story. The devs reworked several core systems at once. Smoke grenades now behave differently: smoke can be blown away briefly by explosions, vehicle impacts, and some other triggers, so those classic smoke plays aren’t as reliable anymore — opening up new, sometimes riskier tactics.
Big shifts hit the blue zone too. Matches feel quicker after tweaks to safe-zone dimensions; the damage model was overhauled so harm comes from how long you linger outside the circle rather than how far you are from it. Healing items were also retuned — they weigh less and use faster, which changes how people package meds during a match.
Weapons saw changes as well. The SLR got buffed: faster bullet travel and snappier handling, which should make it a stronger pick for players who like to fight at range.
Ranked mode has its own updates. Season 42 will run for three months and is explicitly a lead-up to a broader rank-system revamp. There’s also a wrinkle: extra rank points for consecutive high placements, putting a premium on staying alive and finishing well.
Among the many balance tweaks, mode additions, and perf fixes, the AI teammate is the most experimental piece — bold, a little odd. Whether Ella becomes a staple or just a short-lived curiosity depends on how the trial goes. If it pans out, devs might iterate more on NPC teammates; if not, it’ll likely be shelved and the rest of the changes will be the ones that stick.