Hard to believe, but PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds will finally launch as version 1.0 next week and, when it does, players will be able to dive into the game's brand new desert map, Miramar. While the game's full launch is just around the corner, the developers have stated they aim to give players at least a little bit of time with the new location before the full launch on Dec. 20.
The PUBG development team recently pulled back the curtain on the new Miramar map, explaining that they wanted the new location to basically be the exact opposite of the game's previous locale. So, instead of wooded areas and lush grassy fields, players will now be tasked with surviving against 99 opponents in a pretty sizable desert.
But this is PUBG we're talking about, so don't think that a trip to the desert means you'll be exploring vast areas of sandy, featureless spaces. Instead, much of Miramar's desert is full of rolling hill and towering mountains, and there are plenty of densely populated landmarks to check out.
The area pictured above, for instance, is a small city of multi-floor buildings. That's a heck of a lot of places to search for gear or engage in firefights, and that's just one small corner of the new map. You could probably play a fast and frantic round with a full roster of participants in this one area alone, but Miramar has a heck of a lot more to offer.
While only offering a handful of images, the PUBG team has listed descriptions of several key destinations in a recent Steam forum update. The reasoning for not offering too many visuals is the desire to surprise players as much as possible when the full game launches. The map itself boasts a main land mass surrounded by a sheer cliff. There are also a handful of islands off the coast of the map, a couple of which boast connecting roads and bridges. Everything else appears to be nicely spaced out, meaning players will have plenty of exploring to do if they want to learn the ins and outs of the new map. And, again, this is PUBG, so you know it's going to be filled with interesting nooks and crannies.
Not to keep making comparisons to Fortnite Battle Royale, but the map in PUBG is a big part of why the game is able to move at a more methodical pace than Epic's 100-player romp. While the former offers a decent amount of variety in a relatively small amount of space, the latter will have players discovering new locations for weeks to come. There aren't many games that offer maps this big, and it can be tricky to go on a sightseeing tour when nearly 100 other players are gunning for you at the same time.
Other areas worth noting included a large factory with plenty of catwalks and outlying buildings, a coastal town with industrial docks and even a highly fortified prison.
If you're looking forward to visiting Miramar, you better make sure your bags are packed. The map will be ready to roll once PlayerUnknown's Battleground finally exits early access for PC and Xbox One on Dec. 20.
