For the next few months, PUBG Mobile is going dark. Not in the same way is has in India, but in a survival horror kind of way. Through an ambitious crossover with the Metro series of games, the new Metro Royale mode has made its way into the game, promising a PvPvE mode on an even grander scale than the long-lost Survive Till Dawn. It’s out now, and it’s surprisingly well put together with plenty of replay value strewn across an exclusive campaign style mode.
Initially announced back in early August, it’s taken months of beta testing to get Metro Royale into a state ready for the general public. That being said, there’s a chance you’ll be told you haven’t been invited to play it when you attempt to try it out, so there still appears to be a roll-out in process even after its official release. Once you’re in, though, it’s up to you and a squad to roam across one of two maps in an attempt to scrounge together the treasures to fund your next trip, all the while being hunted by not just other players, but bandits and monsters, too. To help you get to grips with its deep systems, here’s our beginner’s guide to Metro Royale. Check back often for new pieces of information as the event plays out.
What is Metro Royale?
Metro Royale is a PvPvE mode that challenges squads to not only escape other players, but AI-controlled bandits and ferocious mutated monsters. The mission takes place on a couple of new maps consisting of dilapidated camps, ruins, and underground tunnels. You load your bag up with supplies before you queue, then aim to escape with as much loot as possible before you’re overwhelmed by other entities trying to kill you and lose it all in the process.
Once you’re back in the menus, you can sell any treasures or excess supplies you came across to fund the goods you feel you’ll need to survive another round, all the while increasing your level and opening up new areas, or finding and buying gifts to get established Metro characters to like you just that little bit more.
Availability
While not explicitly mentioned in most of the marketing material up to now, Metro Royale appears to be sticking around well into the new year. As we know it right now, the new mode will last until January 11, by which time it’ll evolve or progress to its next stage, likely swapping in a few new maps, equipment, and fresh new story elements.
Maps
Metro Royale takes place on a couple of different maps right now: Frontline Confrontation and Old Blockade Zone. You can play either of these from level one, but Old Blockade Zone (Advanced) is locked until you hit level 8 in the mode. More on that in a bit. The main difference between the Advanced version is the inclusion of the Radiation Zone – an area to the top of the map that’s filled with high-value loot and even more dangerous enemies. You’ll want to be properly kitted out before diving into that hellscape.
How to Play (and Survive) Metro Royale
Once you’ve updated to PUBG Mobile 1.1, all you need to do is tap into the Metro Royale mode either by hitting the pipe on the main screen background or going through the usual mode select menus. Once there, you’ll be briefed on the mission and given your first set of supplies. Drag them from your
Your first trip into the hot zone is a test run. The game won’t tell you this, but just like your first Classic match, you’re up against bots only (from what we can tell), so don’t expect to see other players outside of your squad – just AI bandits. Also, don’t be afraid to bring all of the starter supplies with you: you’ll get them back if you die just this once.
The aim is to get back in one piece. It doesn’t matter how many kills you get or how much loot you grab along the way, if you don’t escape with the goods, you’ll lost everything but a sliver of the experience from that run. It’s simple enough, though. You have around 30 minutes to forage and fight your way across the map. During that time, reach an extraction point to end the match and make it back with all your stuff. Run out of time and you’ll lose it all.
It’s all about risk vs reward. If you’re starting to run low on supplies, you’ll need to decide whether you can survive another engagement. You’ll generally want to start heading in the direction of an escape point wherever you spawn, that way you hopefully won’t be too far away from one when time starts to run short or your supplies begin to look a little thin. Other than to steal each other’s valuable goods, there’s no real reason to shoot at other groups, so if you think you can trust them, try to form a truce so that you can all share the goods and get home safely.
Getting Around
They won’t show on the map until you find them, but each map has two of a possible four Metro tunnels hidden somewhere. They’re linear railroads that are good for not just supplies, but as a means to get across the map fairly quickly. Make sure to scout them out when you can. But try not to go it alone. Though you don’t tend to find many enemies in the main sections, the maintenance rooms running alongside can house vital supplies behind powerful Juggernaut enemies. You’ll absolutely need your squad on hand to take these tanks down, so come prepared. They’ll dry up your ammunition supply in no time while filling you full of LMG rounds and tossing plenty of incendiary grenades at your feet. You’ve been warned.
High-Value Loot – Metro Royale Loot Value List
One of the best parts of the new Metro Royale mode is rummaging around for goods to sell to the Black Market dealer back in the main menu. It’s a bit of a grind to get to a point where you can afford some of the spicier goods he has on sale, but as there are only a few different loot types, we’ve rounded up some of the highest value junk you’ll want to keep an eye out for. There’s no point filling your bag with garbage now, is there?
This is the kind of loot you’ll find in glowing crates, briefcases, or even just on the floor of houses and the metro platforms. The Password Letter — which fetches a pretty penny on the Black Market — seems to show up in filing cabinets found in a couple of houses that have seen better days, though you may want to head to the location they reference on the sheet in order to use the codes for a chance at even better loot. It really does depend on what you’re willing to risk for a bit of extra cash.
Here’s a rough sell price list of the items you’ll find in Metro Royale:
- Password Letter (White) – 30,000
- Heart Necklace – 2,100
- Compass – 1,000
How to Get More Supplies
Without supplies, you’re not going to get very far in Metro Royale. Armor, ammunition, and even guns and other weapons are vital tools that can be lost on death. Lose them all after a few too many dicey runs and you’ll soon have to enter your next round with barely the clothes on your back to protect you. Lucky, there are numerous ways to pad out your inventory to make sure you’re at least starting a day of adventure off with the basic essentials.
Log-in Rewards
Before you head into the Metro Royale menu for the day, be sure to hit up the usual Log-in Rewards and Event screen. For now, and each week the new mode is available, you can get basic items like a vest and some Metro Cash to spend in the Black Market just for logging in. You’ll find a bunch of weekly missions here too that, when completed, can reward supply crates with choice weapons inside them, and even more cash to spend on exactly the supplies you think you’ll need. These will change each week to feature a different gun, though, so don’t get too comfortable with a particular loadout.
Black Market
Before hopping into a match, you can access the Black Market by tapping the relevant icon on the right of the menu. Here, you can sell goods brought back from previous matches and use the cash earned to buy new, more powerful equipment or simply restock on vital supplies like Med Kits and ammo. The wares sold in the Black Market change over time, but once each day, you can force a shop refresh by tapping the refresh button on the top right of the shop screen. After that, you can pay a bit of UC to do the same if you’re really in need of a specific piece of gear.
Stuff found in the shop can set you back a few hundred thousand Metro Cash, but there’s a chance what you’re looking to buy will be dished out for free at a certain level, so be sure you’re not about to unlock something for free before you blow a lot of hard-earned coin. Especially if you think you’re going to die and lose it anyway.
Fame Level Rewards – How to Raise Fame Level
Metro Royale uses a unique leveling system that’s separate from your usual rank standing or player level. Known as your Fame Level, completing runs is the main way of increasing it, but the Challenge and Story Missions found on a screen on the right of the Metro Royale menu will reward slivers of experience, too. Story Missions will come one after the other, whereas weekly missions refresh in sets of 10 each week the event is live. Many of them offer cash and items to use in the Favorability system (detailed below) as well, so it’s worth keeping the missions in mind when heading off on your next run.
As your rank raises, you’ll earn specific rewards much like when your player level increases in the main game. Like the rest of the items in this mode, however, they can be lost on death, so it might be worth holding onto some of the more powerful gear until you have a comfortable grasp on how Metro Royale plays.
Favorability Rewards – How to Raise Favorability
Three well-known characters from the Metro universe can be found chilling in the Aurora on the left side of Metro Royale menu, where you can slide in to have a chat. Each character will have unique stories to tell for the lore-moguls out there, but for reward seekers, the interesting part is the Favorability system. Give your favorite character gifts to increase your Favorability with them, and they’ll dish out helpful rewards and supplies in the process.
Characters like particular items more than the other. For example, Vera will shoot to level 2 if you give her the Combat Boots found in the item box of the first Favorability Mission, whereas Ian will only go up half way. Get to know the characters and you’ll easily figure out who’ll enjoy which gift. You can sell goods at the Black Market to buy specific gifts. It’s a good way to earn some extra goods.
Disclaimer: Fanbyte is owned by Tencent, which also runs Tencent Games, developer and publisher of PUBG Mobile. Tencent also subsidizes much of Fanbyte’s PUBG Mobile coverage by covering freelancer budget costs. Those covering PUBG Mobile for the site have no contact with Tencent, however, and are given complete creative control to write whatever they wish.
