Winter has come to PUBG Mobile, and it’s brought a flock of penguins with it. The version 4.1 update is here, and it’s one of those hefty updates that mixes a festive seasonal mode with some serious gameplay balance changes and new features across the board. Here’s our breakdown of what’s new and why it matters.

Frosty Funland: Battle Royale Meets Winter Wonderland

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PUBG Mobile events have gone from simple reskins to full-blown gameplay overhauls, and Frosty Funland is a prime example. The devs have weaved a little story here: the Penguin Kingdom had to flee their melting ice home (climate change is real, even in PUBG), and they’ve built new settlements across Erangel. That means the classic battleground now has pockets of snowy villages teeming with cute penguin NPCs and special loot.

Key things in Frosty Funland mode:

• Penguinville (Major POI): This is a big new location that you’ll immediately notice on Erangel (likely replacing or added near an existing town). It’s like a bustling penguin city – igloos, snow forts, and plenty of festive decor. Importantly, it’s dense with loot. You’ll find high-tier supplies here, but of course, a lot of players will hot-drop to check it out. So, keep your gun ready even while you sightsee!
  
  
  
• Penguin Towns (Minor POIs): Apart from the main Penguinville, smaller outposts or “Penguin Towns” are scattered around. These are usually on travel routes – kind of like midway rest stops. They have some loot and often a couple of unique interactive things (more on those below). If the main city is too hot, these smaller areas can be nice pit stops to gear up.
  
  
  
• NPC Allies & Interactions: The cool (or should I say cold) part is the friendly NPCs. There are Ninja Penguins that you can interact with via voice commands – they actually respond and can give tiny perks like a small heal or a bit of guidance. There’s also a Gunsmith Polar Bear, who, if you find and talk to, can unlock an advanced version of the new rocket launcher (we’ll cover that in a second). And a Magic Fox that you summon with a special staff item, which grants you Magic Ice Skates. Then there are support penguins like an Apothecary penguin that might give you a med or buff, a Zoomer penguin that speeds up your vehicle reload (like quicker refuel or something), and a Cupid penguin (not sure on this one, maybe something to do with revives or respawns?). There’s even a Hairstylist Fox who… changes your hair? Honestly, some of these are just fun Easter eggs for the lols and maybe a minor buff or two.
  
  
  

• Themed Vehicles & Mobility Gadgets: Frosty Funland isn’t just about static locations; it brings new vehicles and items that dramatically change movement and combat:
  
  
  
  
  • The Penguin Snowmobile: A four-seater vehicle that works on both land and water (amphibious!). It’s like a mix between a boat and a sled. What’s neat is that passengers on it can throw snowballs that do a bit of damage and can disorient enemies (like a mini stun). Additionally, the snowmobile features a speed-boost mechanic that teammates can activate if they coordinate (possibly by spamming an emote or button to cheer, although the exact mechanic is yet to be confirmed). This item is extremely useful for quickly crossing the frozen river or lake.
    
    
    
  • Magic Ice Skates: Perhaps my favorite – these are skates you equip that let you create an ice path as you skate, even over water. Essentially, you can lay down a frozen trail behind you that you and your teammates (or enemies, careful!) can use as a temporary bridge. The trails last a short while and can be destroyed by gunfire. It’s great for crossing rivers or open fields quickly, but it leaves a pretty obvious path of where you went. Use it for speed, but be aware of its visibility.
    
    
    
  • Salted Fish Rocket Launcher: Don’t laugh at the name. This weapon is insane. It fires rounds that create ice patches on impact – basically freezing the ground and anyone on it. If enemies are running and get caught, they’ll slip and be momentarily slowed. But the kicker: an advanced version (unlockable via that Polar Bear) lets you use it as a freaking jetpack. Yes, you can rocket jump/fly a short distance. Imagine a recoil-less RPG that not only is a weapon but also a mobility tool. It’s high risk (you could get shot out of the sky), but high reward.
    
    
    
  • Swordfish Syringe: This is a throwable healing syringe. You can stick it on yourself or toss it to a teammate. Once it hits, it gives a heal over time plus a brief speed boost. It’s like a mini-injection that also works at range. It’s super handy if a teammate is pinned down and needs healing – you can toss it at them from cover.
    
    
    
  • Winterland Kar98K: This is a special variant of the Kar98 sniper found only in this mode. Its gimmick: if you hold fire for a moment, it “charges” and the next shot causes a small icy explosion on impact. That means a bit of area damage and a slowing effect to anyone nearby. If someone’s hiding behind a tree, you can shoot the ground near them and do splash damage – pretty nifty. It basically rewards patience and timing, adding a little AOE to a precision weapon.
    
    
    
    

• Icy Strategies: With ice paths and freezing weapons, new tactics emerge. For example, you can use the Bolt Maker (from Tactical Market, now known as Smoke Vortex in official notes) to create a temporary “lightning zone” – but in Frosty Funland, perhaps it’s re-skinned as a “blizzard zone”? Actually, scratch that, that might be from another context. But still, combining ice skates and the rocket can lead to some wild hit-and-run engagements. I found that using Magic Ice Skates to flank was effective – you lay an ice road around a fight, and come at enemies from an unexpected angle. Just be mindful that your own trails can be destroyed.
  
  

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Weapon Balance Updates: ARs, Shotguns, DMRs

Now onto the meat-and-potatoes changes for the core gameplay – weapon balancing. The dev team made several adjustments in 4.1, likely aiming to address some overpowered scenarios and to fine-tune gunplay feel.

• AR Long-Range Tuning: Assault rifles have had their effective range slightly nerfed. Specifically, damage drop-off at long distances is more pronounced and bullet velocity is reduced over very long flights. What does that mean for you? If you’re trying to beam someone at 300m with a M416 or SCAR-L, you’ll notice it takes maybe one more bullet than before to knock them, and you might have to lead your shots a tiny bit more due to slower bullets. ARs were kind of laser beams even at range, encroaching on sniper territory, so this change tries to re-emphasize that ARs are best at mid-range, not max-range. It’s a subtle tweak – you might not even notice unless you’re in those extreme distance fights, but it’s there. Snipers and DMRs will have a bit more breathing room to be the kings of long range again.
  
  
  
• Shotgun Adjustments: This is a biggie. Shotguns, especially the DBS, S12K, and even the pump actions, were insanely lethal in CQC (close quarters) which, fine, they should be – but the DBS in particular was basically a sniper if you mastered it, able to two-tap people 50m away. In 4.1, pellet damage for all main shotguns (DBS, M1014, S12K, S686, S1897, NS2000) has been reduced. They didn’t remove the one-shot potential at point blank, but they made it so beyond a few meters, it’s not as absurd. Now, it leaves the enemy barely alive instead – so you need an extra shot or your teammate to finish. It’s a noticeable nerf but shotguns are still very strong within their niche (just not ridiculous). TL;DR – you can breathe a little easier looting those houses, but don’t get complacent if someone has a shottie around the corner.
  
  
  
• DMR Stability Buff: Semi-auto DMRs like the SKS, SLR, and the beastly Mk14 got a handling improvement. They now have better firing stability, meaning less recoil or more predictable kick, especially for follow-up shots. If you’ve shied away from SKS/SLR because they felt “wild” when spamming shots, give them another try. The SKS in particular feels smoother – you can pop-pop-pop a bit faster without the sight dancing off target as much. The Mk14 in auto mode is still hard to control (that thing’s a monster), but single-tap DMR usage feels more rewarding. This buff indicates the devs want DMRs to be a strong choice for those mid-long range fights, bridging the gap between ARs and bolt snipers, and I’m all for it. Nothing is more satisfying than landing successive shots with an SLR and dropping a distant target.
  
  
  
• FAMAS Upgraded: The FAMAS AR got an interesting buff – it can now take an actual magazine attachment (Extended, Quickdraw, etc.) and even the new Mini Drum mag. Before, FAMAS was fixed 25-rounds with only muzzles and scopes. Now you can bump that to 35 with an Extended or even more with a drum. This is a great change because FAMAS has a crazy rate of fire but ran dry fast. With a larger mag, it becomes a more viable 5.56 close-range shredder. They probably did this because not many people were picking up the FAMAS, given its spawn is limited to Air Drops on some maps. We might see more love for it now.

Additionally, it can now likely use the AR Compensator for improved recoil control (if it couldn’t before). Actually, it could have attached muzzles earlier too, just not magazines. In any case, FAMAS = more bullets = more pew pew = more reasons to try it.

• Audio and ADS Polish: They upgraded a bunch of sound effects – gunshots, hits, knockdowns – to be more crisp and distinct. You immediately notice the knockdown sound is punchier; when you knock an enemy, the sound feedback is very clear now (kind of a satisfying thump). It helps confirm you actually downed someone, which is good for intense fights. They also improved some ADS (aim-down-sight) logic for TPP, making crosshair behavior more consistent. It’s a bit technical, but basically switching between hip fire and ADS should feel smoother, and your sight alignment should be more reliable (no weird misaligned shots when quickly scoping).
  
  
  
• Reload Progress Indicator: A subtle but super welcome UI change – when you’re reloading a weapon, you now see a little progress bar on the weapon icon in your HUD. This means at a glance you can tell if that reload is 50% done, 80% done, etc. Why does this matter? Think about those times you start reloading and an enemy pops up – you have that split-second decision to continue or cancel the reload to shoot. Now you can actually judge if you’re almost done (so maybe you stick it out 0.2 seconds more to finish) or if it’s just started (it's better to cancel and try again). It’s a quality-of-life change that once you get used to, you won’t want to live without.
  
  
  

All these balance changes are aimed at making fights more fair and skill-based. No doubt, the community will still find metas (maybe UMP still meta? maybe DMRs become meta?). But what’s important is the extremes were toned down: no more long-range shotgun snipes, ARs are a tad less laser at 300m, and we got improvements where needed (DMRs, FAMAS).

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New Supplies, Map Adjustments & Other Features

The 4.1 update isn’t just fluff and balance; it also adds some new gameplay elements across Classic mode maps:

• Loot Trucks: These are armored trucks that roam around (we’ve seen these before in some modes). They carry loot and you can shoot them to drop some supplies. If you fully destroy a loot truck, it explodes in a piñata of high-tier gear (usually crate-level weapons, scopes, armor). It’s kind of like a walking airdrop. The trick is, they take a lot of ammo to destroy and they broadcast your position (everyone can see/hear you unloading mags into a truck). In a squad, focusing fire to quickly blow up a truck can be worth it to kit out the whole team. But beware third parties; a greedy squad can get wiped if another group swoops in right when the loot drops.
  
  
  
• Carry Loot Crates: This is cool – you can now pick up a dead enemy’s loot crate and carry it somewhere safer to loot. Ever wipe a squad in a dangerous open spot and then you’re like “I want their stuff but we’re gonna get shot doing it”? Now you can grab the crate and drag it behind cover, then loot at your leisure. It’s a small thing but adds realism and tactical depth. One time, a teammate grabbed a crate of someone I sniped on a hill and brought it down to our hardcover – felt like true teamwork. Keep in mind you can’t shoot while carrying a crate, and you move slower, so don’t try to yoink one mid-fight unless you’re sure it’s safe.
  
  
  
• Supply Shop Updates: The shop (those vending machine-looking things where you spend coins from looting) got new items. Notably:
  
  
  
  • Advanced Firearm Pack: probably a bundle that gives you a fully kitted gun (like a rifle with all attachments) for a bunch of coins. Good for late game if you have spare currency.
    
    
  • Respawn Pack: Likely ties into the recall mechanic – maybe if recalls are enabled, this pack gives you a flare or instant revive card to bring back a dead teammate. It could be clutch in modes that allow recalls (like some maps or event modes).
    
    
  • These additions mean the shop is more versatile. We might see strategies where squads pool coins to buy a specific pack. I’ve often found myself with extra shop coins in the late game and nothing useful to spend on (already have level 3 gear and enough ammo). These packs ensure there’s always something worthwhile, even if pricey.
    
    
    
• New Erangel Area – Boatyard: Erangel got a minor map change: a new spot called Boatyard. From the name, presumably a shipyard or dock area, possibly near the coast (maybe they revamped an existing area like the Ferry Pier or added near Novoropnoye or something). It’s a new loot spot and also adds another area for fights. I haven’t dropped there yet, but I’m eager to explore it. New areas are always welcome for variety. Keep an eye out on the map for any area name you don’t recognize – that’ll be the Boatyard. And expect a few hot drops there as people check it out.
  
  
  
• Energy Berries: Scattered around now are these Energy Berry pickups. Think of them like mini Painkillers. They probably give a small boost to your boost bar (stamina/energy) but not as much as a full drink or pill. It’s just another source of boost that you might find while running through fields or forests. It encourages players to move around and explore, rewarding map traversal. If you’re low on boost items, grabbing a couple berries can top you up enough to regen health.
  
  
  

The map and supply changes seem aimed at pacing: encouraging movement (loot trucks and berries), reducing downtime (carry crates to loot quicker, shop packs to gear faster). The new Boatyard adds a fresh contest point that could shift some drop patterns.

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World of Wonder (Creative Mode) Enhancements

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For those who love the custom mode “World of Wonder” (PUBG’s answer to creative mode where people design their own game modes and maps), 4.1 brings some love:

• Racing Mode Upgrades: They added a dedicated multiplayer racing template/map. So creators can make better race tracks and the vehicle handling in that mode is improved. If you enjoy silly races in PUBG (like rally driving or stunt courses), expect better content and smoother driving.
  
  
  
• Prefab Sharing – Resource Center: Big one for creators: you can now save and share prefab objects or structures, and download ones others made. This means if someone designs an awesome building or obstacle, others can use it in their maps without rebuilding from scratch. It’s like sharing assets. This will speed up map creation and likely result in more detailed and cool maps as people collaborate indirectly. Thinking optimistically, we could see some community-driven content make its way into official highlights if it’s good enough.
  
  
  
• New Gameplay Elements: They mentioned you can now incorporate Frosty Funland NPCs and mechanics into custom modes, and there’s a new mission editor for PvE experiences. Essentially, if you want to create a custom zombie mode or a story-driven mission in PUBG Mobile, the tools are getting more robust. Timeline-based events, triggers, etc. This is pretty exciting – gives the game longevity beyond just battle royale.
  
  
  

If you’re a builder, these changes likely have you drooling with ideas. If you’re not, you’ll still benefit by getting to play the cool modes others make. Win-win.

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Metro Royale Chapter 29: Snow and Riches

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PUBG’s extraction mode, Metro Royale, often flies under the radar, but it has a dedicated audience. Update 4.1 gave it a new season (Chapter 29) and some improvements:

• Snow Crates: On the Metro maps (which have a mix of AI and player enemies), you can now find Snow Crates buried in the field. These require some work to excavate (likely a progress bar as you interact). They contain high-tier loot and valuables you can sell for Metro Cash. It adds an extra objective: do you take a risk mid-match to dig up treasure? If you do and succeed, you profit big. But it could expose you or take time. This spice makes PvE exploration more rewarding. It’s reminiscent of treasure hunts in other extraction shooters.
  
  
  
• Command Post & Fame Adjustments: The progression system (Fame, Command Points) got rebalanced to be less grindy. You’ll level up your Metro rank faster and get rewards sooner. They want more people to engage without feeling like it’s a slog. So if you were turned off by how long it took to unlock stuff, give it another shot – progression is smoother now. Also, inventory management and command post interface likely saw some QoL tweaks to make it user-friendly.
  
  
  
• Better Economy: They adjusted loot values and selling prices to make the run's risk vs. reward more sensible. No more situations where you extract and feel like you got peanuts for your effort. By making the loop more rewarding, Metro might see a surge in players. It’s actually a really tense and strategic mode – think high-stakes looting where you lose your gear if you die, but keep it (and can upgrade it) if you survive.
  
  
  

Overall, Metro Royale’s update makes it more accessible and enticing, which is great. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but those who love it will appreciate the new content, and those who haven’t tried might find it less intimidating now.

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Final Wrap-up

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PUBG Mobile 4.1 is a fantastic mix of fun and function. On one side, you have Frosty Funland turning the battleground into a playground of ice slides and penguin pals – it’s chaotic, refreshing, and will generate plenty of clip-worthy moments. On the other, the core game is refined: gunplay is a tad more balanced, movement and looting get quality updates, and new systems like the Challenge Pass and creative mode expansions show the game is evolving beyond its battle royale roots.

One more thing – if you’re looking to snag some UC to open those holiday crates, maybe or get that cool glacier skin for your AKM, the Carry1st Shop has got you covered with instant top-ups in our region. It’s a safe way to get UC without hassle, and who knows, maybe a good deal during the season.

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Anyway, that’s all for this update overview. Winner winner, chicken dinner, and happy holidays in advance!

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