KRAFTON

Smells like chicken dinner! Sneak Peek at the IBR (Intense Battle Royale) Mode

In this mode, you can smell the chicken dinner from the start. We are talking about the new IBR (Intense Battle Royale) mode. You can feel the end-game intensity from the get-go, and it usually takes about 10 minutes to play. Gear up with randomly provided weapons in a scale-downed area and become the last survivor! The KRAFTON Blog will take a look at the new IBR mode together with Splatter and Tythonic S.R., employees at KRAFTON, and PUBG pros. We’ll introduce attractive features and cool tips for the IBR mode, so if you’re still unfamiliar with it, keep reading!

※ The review was conducted after PUBG 22.1 patch update.

※ Please be advised that this review consists of the reviewer’s opinion and is based on the reviewer’s concept. It is not the official stance of KRAFTON or the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS developers.

#By Splatter

Hi everyone, this is Splatter. Don’t we all have this experience in PUBG where you never even get to shoot one shot, even after looting so much? I sometimes even avoid seemingly winnable combats for fear of dying. So when I heard there was a new mode that could boost my confidence, I knew I had to come here. This mode will get me so many chicken dinners (laughs)..

I called my usual game members and boarded the plane. Our first match was at Miramar. We looked at the map and thought holding the high ground would be advantageous, so we ran straight up to the top. Apparently, other teams had the same idea. We engaged in combat right after landing and eliminated one team without damage. I think we won because we quickly obtained random items. The opposing team seemed to realize it was too late and threw a Molotov cocktail at me. That could have been a disaster.

In a random AR (Assault Rifle) crate, I got a K2 rifle, the Korean military rifle. I shot K2 a lot in the army, but I don’t use it in PUBG. As I used K2 in the IBR mode, I started to think that “wow, it is actually a better weapon than I thought.” It was fun to try out various rifles in realistic situations. But in the end, I couldn’t give up my love for my favorite weapon, Beryl (laughs).

While we were checking for the remaining enemy teams’ positions and preparing for the next combat, the second circle appeared. I thought staying on higher ground would be advantageous, but it was a short-sighted idea. Teams occupying the buildings below took good positions, and we were under heavy pressure. At that moment, one opposing team from outside the safe zone rushed to the building. We took this opportunity to move to a better position one by one. We surrounded the distracted enemy teams and easily got the chicken dinner! At this moment, I realized that it’s crucial to have good combat sense and teamwork in the IBR mode.

I played many matches because you can keep fighting from the beginning to the end in this mode. The IBR mode starts within a fixed circle in specific areas from PUBG’s classic 8×8 maps like Erangel, Miramar, Taego, and DESTON. The size of the circle seems to be about the size of the third phase circle in normal games. As I played the mode, I found out that more diverse situations occurred than I expected. However, I got used to it as I played many games on the same map in the same circle. It would be more interesting if every feature was randomized in the IBR mode, including maps and circles.

I enjoyed all kinds of chicken dinners on different maps. Short games took about five minutes, and long games took about ten minutes. If getting the chicken dinner in ranked matches is like 30 minutes of well-fried chicken, chicken in the IBR mode is like quickly fried Popcorn Chicken. But who cares about how you cook them? Chicken dinners are always delicious (laughs). My friends and I ended up playing about ten more games after saying, “this will be our last game” many times.

Since we prefer quick games, we were drawn to the IBR mode. It’s great for warming up before ranked or normal matches or playing while waiting for friends. As the mode finds matches quickly, I think I’m going to play it as long as it is available.


Who is Splatter?

Splatter is an old fan of PUBG who has seen the release of every new item and map. He has played the game since the early access days when Erangel was the only map in PUBG. He’s also known as a skilled player who won a company-wide PUBG tournament in KRAFTON, recording over ten solo kills.


#By Tythonic S.R.

PUBG players, how are you doing? I’m Tythonic S.R., a senior researcher who will explain the new PUBG format to you. If you want to be the winner of the new Intense Battle Royale (IBR), please pay attention to the information that I’m about to tell you.

First of all, as you can tell from its name, Intense Battle Royale is a new type of battle royale that allows intensive combats. Unlike the traditional battle royale, up to 16 players join the game, and you will be provided with three weapon crates and basic supplies. The battle takes place on familiar maps, including Erangel, Miramar, Taego, and DESTON, but players will drop into a smaller safe zone created in a specific map area. You will have about ten minutes to engage in fierce battles and quickly claim victory.

The Intense Battle Royale mode has reduced the four stages of landing > looting > traveling > combat to just the two stages of landing > combat. Reduced stages allow everyone to enjoy the game, including skilled players who want more combat without having to loot or travel and novice players who are still inexperienced in the battle royale genre.

So far, I’ve introduced the Intense Battle Royale. Now, I want to know where you would choose to land if you were deployed to the battlefield. Should you go into a building to loot rifles, throwables, and heal items? Of course not, right? If you go into a building, it will be difficult to win in the Intense Battle Royale. As I said earlier, you already have weapon crates and basic supplies in this mode. Don’t spend your time looting for unnecessary equipment; land right on sites that will give you advantages in combat and secure the area. Now that I’ve let this out, more opponents will try to land on good sites!

I’ll explain the weapon crates and basic supplies provided to you before the drop. You will receive three weapon crates containing AR (Assault Rifle), SR/DMR (Sniper Rifle/Designated Marksman Rifle), and SMG (Sub-Machine Gun). Each crate contains a random weapon. So even if your favorite gun is not in the crate, you will have to use whatever is given to you if enemies are landing right next to you. The weapons from the crates should be easy to use as they come with basic attachments like grips. Apart from weapons, you will also be given heal items, throwables, and scopes with different magnifications, so use them according to your preference.

Then comes the question, can you only use the first weapon from the random crate? Of course not. We’ve placed supply crates throughout the area for players. Supply crates come in three colors: red, blue, and yellow. Please listen carefully and remember this, as different colored crates contain different items.

Red crates have various weapons and ammunition. These crates will probably have your favorite weapons. And blue crates have heal items and throwables. You will, of course, have supplies when you first drop, but those items run out after fierce battles. When you run out of those items, get your supplies from the blue crates. Finally, the yellow crates with unique items. You can get the level 3 helmet and vest, Jammer Pack, Drones, Ballistic shields, and other items that can increase your chances of winning the battle.

Currently, the battles in Intense Battle Royale take place randomly on either Erangel, Miramar, Taego, or DESTON. We are still experimenting with this new mode of battle royale, and you may feel that the battlefield is limited. However, the more players play Intense Battle Royale, the better we can introduce new areas through further research.


Who is Tythonic S.R.?

Tythonic S.R. is a senior researcher at KRAFTON and a renowned master-class PUBG player with a playtime of nearly 7,000 hours. He has a great affection for the PUBG IP and loves watching PUBG esports events, reading PUBG webtoons, and collecting merchandized goods.


Those of you who 1) are tired of looting, 2) are impatient 3) haven’t had chicken dinner for a long time, how about a little refresh in the IBR mode?