Hunting and Crafting
There’s no wildlife in any battle royale game at the moment. Adding it, and forcing players to survive against it, would really shake things up. Hearing a flock of birds take off in distress behind you might be nothing, or it could be the first warning signs that a player is sneaking up behind you and they happened to disturb a nesting family of birds by mistake. Making some of the wildlife carnivores, like wolves or a mountain lion, and having them actively hunt players that intrude on their territory, also adds a whole list of things to consider before pursuing another player into a forest of trees.
Include a crafting mechanic and suddenly the battle royale genre becomes a completely different ballgame. Wasting bullets on a rabbit might no longer be a waste if their flesh can be cooked to recover health. Hunting for an alligator might be a worthy endeavor if their hide can be used to craft armor.
This crafting system doesn’t have to be very realistic; it could be just like the one found in recent Far Cry games. This way, it doesn’t become a part of the game that players need to engage in. They can still just scavenge for guns, ammo, medicine, and armor. However, for players who want to get away from the big cities, they can explore the wilderness for the materials to make the items they need. It would also give the crossbow, arguably one of the most worthless firearms in the game, an actual purpose. Silent, retrievable arrows would be perfect for hunting all types of critters.
