Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Siege X News

In this latest edition of Designer's Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that'll come with the Y8S4.2 Update and give you some insight into the reasons behind them.

[h2]BALANCING MATRIX AND TOP OPERATOR BANS[/h2]
[h3]WIN DELTA VS. PRESENCE[/h3]


Please note that we are using presence to gauge the popularity of an Operator. This notion had to be introduced to reflect the implementation of the pick & ban.

Presence definition: pick rate of an Operator when not banned. Win Delta: The Win Delta is aggregated from Operator's Win Deltas per Bomb Site.

[h2]OPERATOR BAN RATE[/h2]


[h2]OPERATOR BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]TUBARÃO[/h3]
ZOTO CANISTERS

• Decreased to 3 from 4.
  
• No longer affect Maverick's D.I.Y. Blowtorch.
  
• Electrical Insulation effect extended by 1.5 seconds after Canister destruction.
  

We've seen how Tubarão's Zoto Canisters can be used with great success during his time on the live server. Although we're still monitoring his position within the meta as the season progresses and players learn to play and counter play him, we did want to quickly readjust an aspect of his ability following feedback we've received. Reducing the amount Zoto Canisters to 3 will mean players will need to use them more strategically throughout the round. The freezing effect will no longer cause any delay to Maverick's D.I.Y. blowtorch to better position him as a counter to Tubarão. The powerful synergy between Tubarão and Ops like Bandit, or Kaid is something we strongly believe in as it's an integral part of what makes Siege and its operators so interesting. That being said, we did observe that in his current state, those synergies left little room for counter play from attackers. The electrical insulation on metal objects affected by the Zoto Canisters previously lasted only as long as the Canister was active on a surface. The added 1.5 seconds of electrical insulation allow attacking teams with strong coordination a chance to respond and forces the defense to be much more precise in the execution of their strategy if they want to succeed in denying the breach.

[h3]ACE[/h3]
S.E.L.M.A. AQUA BREACHER

• Fuse time: Increase to 4 seconds (from 3.2)
  

Ace doesn't have many downsides. The S.E.L.M.A. is safe to use, quick to explode, fast to use in succession, opens a relatively big hole, and can destroy bulletproof utility. Its main downside is that it can be destroyed during the breaching process to prevent it from creating a navigable hole. But when compared with the downsides of other Hard Breach Operators, this is clearly not enough:

• Thermite: Only 1 at a time, must be close to the wall, is exposed while using the charge, but creates a bigger hole.
  
• Hibana: Slow deployment, slow triggering, but can be used from very far and has a lot of flexibility.
  
• Maverick: Requires quite a bit of time, must be close to the wall, is incredibly exposed while using it, but he doesn't have counters.
  

By increasing the fuse time, we want to give defenders a better chance to prevent the breach when a lot of resources are dedicated to protecting the wall. The extra time will increase the synchronization required between the breacher enabler (Thatcher, Impact EMP, etc.) and Ace to open an actively defended wall successfully.

[h3]KAPKAN[/h3]
LOADOUT

• Added Bulletproof Camera.
  
• Removed Impact Grenades.
  

Kapkan has a huge impact on every round regardless of the number of traps triggered. The way attackers must approach the map changes after spotting him or triggering one of his traps. They have to slow down and start paying attention to every window and door frame to ensure they won't blow up. The last buff to the EDDs made this psychological effect even stronger because you may not get a second chance.

We considered that he already has enough tools to make attackers lose time and the Impact Grenades are helping him be more elusive, allowing him to create rotations on the fly and make attackers invest even more time hunting him through a minefield.

[h3]MAVERICK[/h3]
LOADOUT

• Added Smoke Grenades.
  

We are aware that Maverick is a bit situational without Frag Grenades, and despite not having hard counters, there are not too many situations that justify bringing him over other Hard Breachers and an EMP source. It is dangerous to rely on him as the main breacher because of the time and danger he is in while doing the job. And as a secondary breacher, someone more flexible, such as Ace or Hibana (even the Hard Breach Charge), is usually a less limiting choice for the team.

We hope that the Smoke Grenades can help him be more appealing as a secondary breacher and increase his flexibility, so he can also help with site execution, or even cover himself while breaching through reinforcements.

[h3]THUNDERBIRD[/h3]
LOADOUT

• Added Deployable Shield.
  

We finished her transition to a more supportive role with the latest tweaks to the Kona Station and loadout changes back in S2.0 but it seems like her utility is not appealing enough.

The addition of the Deployable Shield will allow her to create genuine strongholds for defenders by herself. The protection from the shield and the backup from the Kona Stations can make any defender in these positions a hard target to deal with. You can add a few Active Defense Systems or Mag-Net Systems to prevent the shield from getting destroyed too easily and attackers will have a tough time trying to move you out of position.

Additionally, the SPAS-15 is also improved to encourage her to contribute to site setup.

We believe that these changes can make her more appealing to players who like to experiment with different setups and help their teammates from the backline.

[h2]WEAPON BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]SPAS-15[/h3]
RECOIL (PC & CONSOLE)

• First shot kick reduced.
  
• Lateral recoil increased.
  
• Elastic time increased.
  

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Caveira
  
• Thunderbird
  

Automatic Shotguns were left on the sidelines during the Shotgun rework. We were aware that some of the changes introduced could be a bit scary at first sight, so we wanted to be sure that we didn't enter a new Shotgun meta era by buffing the automatic ones too much.

Despite this, we don't have plans to touch them again in the near future (we want to see how everything settles), As we wanted to buff Thunderbird, we found it a good opportunity to make a slight tweak to the SPAS-15. Depending on the effect of these changes, we might give similar treatment to the other automatic shotguns.

We are reducing the first shot kick, which eases landing consecutive shots on the target and taking full advantage of the automatic mode. On the other hand, we are increasing the lateral recoil and adding a clear tendency to the left, which also reduces its tendency upwards.

[h3]G36C[/h3]
RECOIL (PC & CONSOLE)

• Vertical recoil increased.
  
• Horizontal recoil increased.
  

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Ash
  
• Iana
  

Both the R4C and ARX-200 have received balancing changes to reduce their power level in the last few years, this has made players gravitate towards the G36C. That combined with Ash and Iana being two of the strongest fraggers on Attack have made the G36C the weapon with the highest Kill Death Ratio on Attack. This alone isn't an issue; it is a strong weapon in the hands of Operators dedicated to "kills", but the difference between this weapon and other high KDR weapons in the game is too high. Access to the 1.5x sight is an element that strongly affects this weapon's power level, but also differentiates it from its Loadout competitors the R4-C and ARX-200.

With all of that in mind we've decided to modify its recoil. It will be harder to control on every axis which will require players to use more "recoil control" attachments and increase the difficulty of long-range engagements while using the 1.5x.

[h3]SMG-11[/h3]
BASE STATS

• Damage: Reduced to 32hp (from 35).
  

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Amaru
  
• Mute
  
• Smoke
  
• Solis
  

For a very long time, the SMG-11 has been the weapon with the lowest Time to Kill among all automatic weapons by far. The change in damage will put it more in line with all the other weapons, while remaining among the fastest. The change will increase the bullets required to kill 1-armor operators by 1, rewarding precision and punishing spraying and praying.

We could have reduced the damage even more without affecting the TTKs, but we want it to remain appealing enough to pair with primary shotguns.


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Happy Holidays from the Rainbow Six Siege team! We have got a surprise for you!

The free Holiday Pack is available from December 22nd 2023 through January 3rd 2024!

The Holiday Pack contains 1 random unowned Operator or a Bravo Pack if all Operators are already owned. To get your pack go to the shop and claim the “free gift” item. The in-game news bulletin should also direct you there.

We hope you enjoy and have a great time heading into your new year.


Enjoy the Holiday Season with the Limited-Time Freeze For All Event!



The festivities continue until Jan 5th and winter descends upon Siege as Attack and Defense sides cease to exist with only a Free For All in the cold.

Prepare to survive the thrills of the Holiday season in a brand-new limited-time Event as we ship Team Rainbow members to the fresh Arctic Workshop map. You will be able to stalk your fellow Operators in a Free(ze) for All where even death won’t be the end as you respawn on the rooftops to rain down snowballs on your enemies!

Join Jäger, Ace, Flores, Valkyrie and Ying with their new Freeze for All bundles along with returning Snow brawl collections for your favourite Operators and a chance to gain exclusive skins through Event packs! Grab a free Collection pack upon login from the store during the event!


Discover the new Operation Deep Freeze features!



Siege continues to evolve in its brand-new season: Operation Deep Freeze!

Control the pace of battle with latest Portuguese Operator, Tubarão, and his new Zoto Canisters which are throwable devices which can stick to any surface, freezing it. They temporarily disable all gadgets while slowing and revealing their location to Defenders.

Deep Freeze also introduces a brand-new Ranked map, Lair, item trading with the Marketplace (beta), an updated Reputation system, balancing updates, and a new Versus AI playlist to polish your tactics and aim!

Get the most out of the last season of Year 8 by purchasing R6 credits in-game to acquire cosmetics for your newly unlocked Operator or to get these exclusive limited-time Freeze for All bundles!

Operation Deep Freeze has brought with it the full release of the Reputation System in a grace period. Here we'll be covering what the full release means for players, how it will continue to improve, and the actions we've recently taken to further protect players.

[h2]PHILOSOPHY & GOAL[/h2]

With the Reputation System, we are staying true to our core pillars:

• MITIGATE & DETER BEHAVIOR
  
• PREVENT & ADDRESS
  
• FEEDBACK & GUIDANCE
  

Following our core principles, we aim to shield our players against toxicity, curb in-game disruptions and negative behavior, encourage "pro-social" behavior, reform or remove toxic players, and more, while ultimately reinforcing the cooperative nature of Siege.

Our guiding philosophy with the Reputation System itself is that each player should know why they have a particular Reputation Standing, what they can do to modify their playstyle or interactions and improve their position in the Reputation System. We want to ensure that players have the proper tools available to them and the opportunities to make any necessary adjustments. This release of the Reputation System marks an essential step for us, and with player feedback being a crucial part of our strategy, we will be listening to your thoughts and concerns.

[h2]SEASON 4 - WHAT'S NEW?[/h2]

[h3]REVEAL RECAP[/h3]

Before we delve into the latest Reputation System update, if you didn't see our Operation Deep Freeze reveal panel, we've got a recap covering what's been added in Y8S4 and what to expect in the future.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]GRACE PERIOD[/h3]

The Reputation System has been released with updated features and UI, and an ongoing grace period. This grace period means that there will currently be no impact based on a player's Reputation Standing alone, giving players an opportunity to become accustomed to the updated system and to adjust any behaviors before the impacts go live. In the meantime, we will be monitoring the system, collecting feedback, and performing calibrations, ensuring the Reputation System is ready before the grace period is lifted. Note however, that this grace period does not affect currently implemented penalties such as communication penalties and reverse friendly fire that are already live.

[h3]REPUTATION CENTER UPDATE[/h3]

We've updated the Reputation Center to bring even more information to players. Now you'll be able to see your biggest opportunities for improvement, the impacts that your Reputation Standing could have (after the grace period), and more.

Two new sections in the updated Reputation Center are Tips and Guides. Here we're sharing tips that can help players to improve their Reputation Standing and on their way to becoming great Siege community members and players.



With this release you'll start to see notifications with information about changes to your Reputation Standing. Players will be notified of Reputation Standing adjustments, as well as any possible effects current behavior could have on their Reputation Standing in the future. As part of these notifications, we'll also share the impacts that a player could face once the grace period has come to a close.



[h3]NEW IMPACTS[/h3]

Once the grace period has ended, there will be a range of positive and negative impacts depending on a player's Reputation Standing. We will share further updates in the future regarding when the grace period will end.

Having positive and good behaviour could bring:

• Improved Renown gain.
  
• Increased experience points.
  
• Bonus Alpha Pack progress.
  
• Unique rewards.
  

Alternatively, negative and unwanted behavior could lead to:

• Reduced experience and rewards.
  
• Ranked rewards locks.
  
• Playlist locks.
  

These negative impacts have been specifically chosen to help players to rehabilitate and adapt their behaviors in order to have those effects reversed or removed later in their journey.

PLAYLIST & RANKED REWARDS LOCKS - [NOT ACTIVE DURING CURRENT GRACE PERIOD]

Players who find their playlists restricted will need to increase their Reputation Standing in order to make them available once more. This means that players who have the lock enabled will actively need to change their behaviors in the remaining game modes, resulting in those good behaviors being reinforced.

The Ranked rewards lock will behave similarly to the playlist lock, and those who receive a lock on the upcoming Ranked rewards will also have opportunities to rectify the situation. In the following season players who increase their Reputation Standing to Respectable, will have their previous rewards granted.

[h2]PROTECTING PLAYERS AND CREATORS FROM REPORT ABUSERS[/h2]

In-game reporting is incredibly helpful to our Player Protection team. Your in-game reports help to make our automatic detection more robust; they assist in investigations carried out by our Player Protection team, and aid in creating a safer playspace for everyone.

We do also want to reiterate to players that while in-game reporting continues to be an invaluable tool for our Player Protection team to leverage, players will not be sanctioned based on in-game reports alone.

We want players to know they can make use of the in-game reporting system, though we know that there are others looking to misuse these reporting tools as a method of abuse. Following your feedback, we've updated our system to better account for and to prevent report spamming. Critically however, players with poor behavior will still be able to be reported correctly, resulting in possible Reputation Penalties or game sanctions. In the future, we will continue to strengthen our validations while building upon and creating new safeguards, further increasing the robustness of our systems.

[h2]REPUTATION STANDING ACCURACY[/h2]

Currently, the Reputation System already takes advantage of a whole host of positive and negative stats including in-game reports, Commendations, Reverse Friendly Fire, abandon abuse, and more, with the use of safeguarding logic. While these have given us enough data overall to provide a fair representation of a player's behavior, we know that we can further increase precision with additional data points covering other common player behaviors. To this end, we're working on including more granular data to define a player's Reputation with even more accuracy.

[h2]CONCLUSION[/h2]

The new improvements we are introducing this season should greatly reduce occurrences of players finding undeserved reports on their Misconduct page, while also stopping illegitimate Reputation Penalties in worst case scenarios. If you continue to experience any issue with the Reputation System after this update, please report it via R6Fix.

You should expect to see additional adjustments and communications in the months to come around balancing, additional actions and protections, and Reputation Standing impacts, as we work to create a system that works best for everyone. We are always listening to your feedback and working on improvements to better reflect our goals; we want to make sure we're achieving the right results by rewarding positive and reputable players, while helping other players to improve their behavior.

As we continue into Y8S4 Operation Deep Freeze, keep in mind that the Reputation System will remain in a grace period. During that time, you'll get to see the impact of your in-game actions in the Reputation Center without having the effects applied. None of the impacts highlighted in the Reputation Center will be activated until this system is fully balanced and officially released, however, Reputation Penalties which are already live such as voice or written chat Penalties will continue to work as usual.

We want Siege to not only be a game of competitiveness and strategy, but also of joy and comfort. The Reputation System forms an essential component of our strategy to protect players, and we remain dedicated to our mandate of creating a welcoming environment for all.