PUBG Update Copies Apex Legends Respawn System

PUBG: Battlegrounds is taking a page from the Apex Legends playbook with its new respawn system called “Recall” which allows players the chance to bring allies back from the dead for a second chance at victory. Under this new system, players will find that “Blue Chips” are located within dead players’ deathboxes, and after retrieving those, you can take them to designated Blue Chip Towers throughout the map to bring your teammates back. There’s also an option to respond teammates on-the-go with another new piece of equipment called the Blue Chip Transmitter, though that option has some strings attached.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s almost exactly how the base respawn system in Apex Legends works. Players retrieve banners from their teammates deathboxes in Apex (or craft them, if you’re a Support Legend) and must bring them to Respawn Beacons or find a Mobile Respawn Beacon to use them. Just like Apex, PUBG’s version of this respawn system has limitations on how these respawn methods can be used.

Apex’s respawn system is a great one though, and it certainly alleviates the frustration of quick death in that game, so it makes sense that games like PUBG and others like Fortnite are paying attention. PUBG has dabbled in respawns before through different methods of getting players back in the game, so while this isn’t the first attempt at that system, this’ll hopefully be one that sticks.

With this particular respawn system in PUBG, Blue Chips actually have a weight of 5, so you’ll have to account for that if you plan on respawning teammates. Blue Chip Transmitters have a weight of 20 and naturally have to be found before you can use them, so they’re perhaps a bit less accessible than the freestanding Blue Chip Towers.

After activating someone’s Blue Chip, the player(s) get to respawn via planes that fly over once at the start of every round, so it’s not instantaneous like it is in Apex. Once players are brought back, they won’t have any weapons or equipment at all, so it’ll be like they’re starting the match anew. Once Phase 7 begins, the recall system will be disabled entirely.

PUBG’s new respawn system is currently on the test servers for players to try out ahead of its full release.