PUBG Battlegrounds AI Teammate Ella Feels Like a Smart but Clumsy Random Foreigner
Ella is a rare example of a language-model-driven AI teammate in a live multiplayer game, but the gap between conversational freedom and rigid behavior-tree movement highlights the current limits of co-playable AI.
Key Facts
- KRAFTON's Ally Duo mode in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS pairs players with AI teammate Ella, powered by a locally running small language model based on NVIDIA ACE.
- The mode runs from June 17 to July 1, 2026, and supports English, Korean, and Chinese.
- Ella can understand requests like spare ammo or energy drinks and respond verbally, but her movement uses a traditional behavior-tree system, creating a bot-like feel.
- A 4Gamer.net play report compared Ella to coordinating with a random foreigner who is smart but bad at playing.
- The mode requires an NVIDIA GPU with at least an RTX 2080 Ti or RTX 3060 with 8GB VRAM.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
KRAFTON implemented the limited-time Ally Duo mode in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, pairing players with AI teammate Ella, who uses a locally running small language model based on NVIDIA ACE for natural conversation. The mode requires an NVIDIA GPU and runs until July 1, 2026. A play report describes Ella as smart in conversation but bot-like in movement, creating a mismatch.
KRAFTON's limited-time Ally Duo mode in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS pairs players with Ella, an AI teammate powered by a small language model running locally on NVIDIA GPUs. The mode is available from June 17 to July 1, 2026, and supports English, Korean, and Chinese. A play report from 4Gamer.net describes Ella as capable of understanding requests like spare ammo or energy drinks and responding verbally, but her actual movement feels bot-like due to a traditional behavior-tree system. The writer, who does not speak English fluently, compared the experience to coordinating with a random foreigner who is smart but bad at playing. Minimum GPU requirements start at an RTX 2080 Ti or RTX 3060 with 8GB VRAM.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.