Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Siege X News

You can find here the updates and fixes made over the course of the Y8S3 Season Test Server.

[h2]Y8S3 Patch Size[/h2]

Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 6.11 GB
  
• Steam: 5.5 GB
  
• Xbox One: 5.85 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 6.76 GB
  
• PlayStation 4: 5.45 GB
  
• PlayStation 5: 5.85 GB

[h2]BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]SHOTGUN[/h3]

• Further tweaks on the ITA12L, Buck's Skeleton key, SG-CQB and the M870 to bring them in line with the rest of the rework.

[h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

[h3]GAMEPLAY[/h3]

FIXED – Adaptive Trigger effect for PS5 controllers is missing after changing Operators in Team Deathmatch or Free For All.
FIXED – Players can't finish the Attack tutorial if they eliminate a dummy before the "Eliminate Opponents" objective is active.
FIXED – Players can glitch through walls by exploiting an interaction with Exit Rappel and Breach Charges.
FIXED - Zero's Argus cameras hacked by Defenders retain a viewable camera feed when they lose their signal outdoors.
FIXED – Starting the Basics tutorial for the first time will show an ammo counter instead of the infinity symbol.
FIXED – Player's drone can pass through assets and block the completion of the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – The being shot VFX in 1st person last longer while aiming down sight.
FIXED – Bullet spread randomization is missing when hip firing the weapon.
FIXED – The defusing location for the Attack tutorial is too small and close to the bomb.
FIXED – FPS drops when players spin around quickly in B Laundry Room of the Oregon map.
FIXED - The wall button on the interactive panel isn't highlighted when the destructible wall is active in the Shooting Range.
FIXED - Brava doesn't get scoring points when using Jager's Active Defense System or Wamai's MAG-NET System that's been hacked by a Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Scoring doesn't count the 4th device deployed by Amaru, Gridlock or Castle.
FIXED - Weapon SFX loops when players shoot and fast exit rappel at the same time.
FIXED - Players skip reload animation during pick up or weapon swap animation.


[h3]LEVEL DESIGN[/h3]

FIXED – A stud is visible in 2F Attic of the Oregon map.
FIXED – A stud is visible in 1F Security Corridor of the Oregon map.
FIXED – LOD issue is present in the hallway between 1F Hatch Room and 1F Melee Training of the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – Cliffside spawn point is missing from the Chalet map.
FIXED – A stud is visible in 2F Back Stairs of the Villa map.
FIXED – The Operator gets stuck after navigating across the crates in the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – Defenders are detected as outside at multiple locations on various maps.
FIXED – Texture flickers on carpet in 1F Open Area of the Consulate map.
FIXED – Laser attachment is visible through the wall when the Operator is facing it while prone.
FIXED – Metals crates are see-through to Operators in the 2F Server Room of the the Kanal map.
FIXED - Operator gets stuck when jumping onto a balcony at EXT Back Alley on Favela map.
FIXED - Operators can't retrieve the defuser if it's dropped while entering or exiting rappel in specific spots on various maps.
FIXED – Various defuser planting and pickup issues.
FIXED - Various collision, asset, and texture issues on maps.


[h3]OPERATORS[/h3]

FIXED – Placing Ram's BU-GI below a window can allow players to instantly exit rappel.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI slides through the air when thrown against uneven surfaces.
FIXED – Solis can't detect Ram's BU-GI when it is held in her hands.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI loses functionality after being dropped while Ram is holding it.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI gets stuck in multiple walls and assets on various map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to completely destroy the walls located in 1F Joint Corridor of the Theme Park map.
FIXED – When Ram holds the first BU-GI and attempts to change its trajectory, the HUD trajectory icon doesn't update.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to completely destroy the wall located in between 1F Lounge and 1F Garage of Clubhouse map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to break the wooden walls located in 2F Ceramic Gallery of the Country Club map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI gets stuck in the wall located in 2F Day Care of the Theme Park map.
FIXED – Castle's Armor Panels aren't destroyed by Ram's BU-GI.
FIXED – When Ram eliminates a player with the BU-GI, the kill cam zooms on the BU-GI at random intervals.
FIXED – Scoring points aren't awarded when Operators destroy Goyo's Volcan Canister by destroying a barricade it's placed on.
FIXED – Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine clips through the floor, making it harder to spot.
FIXED – Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher doesn't ping opponents inside the swarm until affected by the decay debuff.
FIXED – Hibana's X-Kairos pellets go through the cubicles in the 2F Admin Office of the Consulate map.
FIXED – Frost's Welcome Mat doesn't deploy properly when dropped on top of the defuser.
FIXED - A Bulletproof Camera affected by a hacked Signal Disruptor shows glitched VFX even after the Signal Disruptor is destroyed.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone looks higher and lower than intended.
FIXED - Ping doesn't display the right color when used on Goyo's Vulcan Canister.
FIXED - Echo's Yokai Drone doesn't move properly when exiting the Observation Tools mid-jump and then re-entering.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone loses signal when moved outside after re-hacking it from Mozzie's Pest.
FIXED - Missing VFX feedback when spectating Nokk when HEL Presence Reduction is active.
FIXED - Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine location displays as a placeholder when deployed outside of EXT Terrace of the Kafe Dostoyevsky map.
FIXED - Drones don't recover from a lost signal status when reclaimed from Mozzie's Pest using Brava's Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Sledge's Breaching Hammer can't destroy Iana's Gemini Replicator.
FIXED - Valkyrie's Black Eyes are turned off when hacked outside by Brava's Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Osa's Talon-8 shield can't be guard broken if Opponent is prone or crouched while Osa is standing while holding the Talon-8 Shield.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher ammo counter always shows 0 during replay.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher doesn't accurately ping the opponent's location if they're scanned by a drone.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher still pings Opponents if Grim is eliminated while deploying a canister.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone doesn't display HUD feedback when aiming at devices through certain assets.
FIXED - Sen's R.O.U. Projector System doesn't destroy projectors if deployed more than once.
FIXED - Operator video missing for Smoke.
FIXED – Various animation issues.


[h3]USER EXPERIENCE[/h3]

FIXED – Can't navigate to the main menu sections by pressing the up arrow or up on the D-pad of a controller while viewing an item in full screen.
FIXED – EXT Construction Site name is missing from the tile when selecting the spawn location on the Oregon map.
FIXED – Ram's default uniform has some visual issues.
FIXED – The main room of the elimination trial for the Basics tutorial displays the wrong compass location.
FIXED – The area before entering 1F Hatch Room in the Basics tutorial displays the wrong compass location.
FIXED – The compass location is missing when the Compass Appearance option is set to Simplified.
FIXED – Chat input functionality is lost and the cursor disappears if the user types in chat or has the player side-panel open when the Planning Phase transitions to the Preparation Phase.
FIXED – Pronounced shadows are present on Operators when viewed from the Operators section.
FIXED – Dread Factor is displayed as the season name on Ram's showcase in the Operator section.
FIXED – The animation in the Home section flickers before resetting.
FIXED – Players under level 5 can't reconnect to a custom online match.
FIXED - Player commendations appear unresponsive when attempting to commend a player a second time.
FIXED - Multiple actions can't be bound to the same button in Customize Controls menu.
FIXED - Crosshair disappears when trying to aim down sight multiple times after getting eliminated.
FIXED - Custom games can't be created using non-Latin characters in the playlist name.
FIXED - The unread notification from Challenges doesn't refresh after exiting and re-entering the Challenges section.
FIXED - Various spectator mode issues.
FIXED – Various UI issues.
FIXED – Various customization issues.
AUDIO
FIXED - SFX loop when players are eliminated while downed.


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[h2]BALANCING PHILOSOPHY & OBJECTIVES[/h2]
In Rainbow Six Siege, every operator is an expert, with a focused proficiency that gives them strength: very strong in the right situations but with flaws in the wrong ones. Our balancing philosophy is all about providing you with the right set of tools to confront very specific situations: for any situation you encounter in the game, there should be wide (but also limited) solutions.

This year, we aim to reduce the strong jack-of-all-trades operators to ensure every decision you make has a thoughtful process behind it. We also want to continue to enhance the game's tactical playstyle by working towards balancing solutions which emphasize the importance of our operator's gadgets.

You will find more details on our vision and plans below, as well as a rundown of our priorities for the rest of Year 8.

[h2]YEAR 8 AND BEYOND[/h2]

[h3]ATTACHMENTS, ADS & FRAGS[/h3]
We are aware of current community concerns surrounding the 1.5x sight. While your attachment choices should be meaningful, it shouldn't drive your operator pick. To this end, the Balancing team has been working over the past few months on new vectors to balance our operators and their loadouts.

Right now, both Frag Grenades and the 1.5x sight are highly utilized and can have a large effect on the success and presence of an operator. Swapping these between loadouts is a short-term solution, and we are currently taking the time needed to polish a larger set of changes that will bring more sustainable balancing levers, allowing us to make less "binary" changes in the future. The team is actively working on a solution for this complex and entrenched issue in the game's meta.

[h3]OPERATOR BALANCING & TACTICAL GAMEPLAY[/h3]
We recognize that a number of operators such as Iana, Azami, Warden, Solis and Blackbeard, don't feel right at the moment, and of course Recruit shares a similar position. We are in the process of prototyping effective solutions to make these feel balanced and worthy.

In an upcoming mid-season update, we'll be making a number of short-term adjustments to help boost operator presence and variety, or to reign it in where needed. In parallel to this, we have longer-term plans in the pipeline for our weaker and more powerful operators. These plans will help to reinforce the tactical gameplay that Siege is known for, bringing the focus back to gadgets and utilities. With this, running and gunning will come with increased risk and difficulty.

There is a considerable amount of work to be done until we can bring all those solutions to the live server due to the nature of some of these changes. In the meantime, we continue to bring you balancing updates by selecting topics which, on one hand, allow us to make the necessary adjustments to the meta and work towards this goal, and on the other hand, aren't taking too much time or resources away from these longer-term plans and priorities.

[h2]COMING UP IN YEAR 8 AND MORE[/h2]

[h3]Y8S3 - GRIM BUFF (PART 2) - KAWAN HIVE LAUNCHER[/h3]
With part one of Grim's buff released in Y8S2, it's now time to look at what's next. In Y8S3, we will enable Grim to switch the firing mode on the Kawan Hive Launcher, with the alternative mode making Kawan Hives bounce off of surfaces rather than sticking to them. The update will increase Grim's versatility, giving players the ability to bounce Kawan Hives around corners and removing the line of sight requirement. This change completes our current vision for Grim and we're looking forward to seeing how players make use of this evolution.

[h3]Y8S3.3 - FROST'S WELCOME MAT REWORK[/h3]
After internal play sessions and a release on the Test Server, we felt like there was still work to be done on the Frost rework, and so we have made meaningful adjustments for the final release.

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

• Increased self-revive time
  
• Extended and made the debuff more severe after self-reviving
  
• Allowing teammate revive, cancelling the debuff activation
  

These changes make self-reviving from a Welcome Mat a much more dangerous and rewarding feat. It will allow Frost players more time to react, and this coupled with the increased debuff, will make sure that players don't want to fall victim to the traps. At the same time, with a teammate revive being an enticing option, Frost players are still going to find those "double kill" opportunities.

We'll be releasing this rework during Y8S3 and carefully evaluating Frost's performance throughout the season.

WHY DOES THE WELCOME MAT NEED A CHANGE?

Currently, if an attacker falls victim to a Welcome Mat, a player is left trapped, out of options, and effectively removed from the action. We don't want players to feel helpless in any situation; an operator should always have options, even if they are limited. With this being the case, we feel that a change to the way that Welcome Mats work is needed, in order to improve the experience for stricken players. With this change we're enabling players to take action, giving them the ability to remove themselves from the Welcome Mat, however, during and after their attempted escape, players are going to feel vulnerable. Critically though, with the usual sound cues and the addition of blood trails, the huntress can still be ready to take care of her foes.

[h3]Y8S3 - FUZE'S CLUSTER CHARGE[/h3]
Fuze packs high fire power but can still feel limited in many circumstances. To improve Fuse's usability, Cluster Charges will be able to be deployed on Deployable Shields and Osa's Talon-8 Shields, providing new strategic possibilities for players to find and utilize.

[h3]Y8S3 - SHOTGUNS[/h3]
We'll also be reworking all shotguns in Y8S3 (excluding the BOSG 12, TCSG12, and ACS12) with the goal of bringing more consistency to the weapon type. This change will make aiming down sights more rewarding, while decreasing the effectiveness of hip-fire. You can find more in-depth information on this change here.

[h3]Y8S4 - SHIELD REWORK[/h3]
We want shield operators to feel strong, while taking away the feeling of powerlessness when facing off against them; In a one-on-one situation, a player should feel that they have a chance against a shield operator, and on the other side, a shield operator should not be bullied without consequence or risk. Changes such as removing hip-fire while the shield is out will help to remove frustrations on both sides of the battle, and reinforce the idea that with a team around them, a shield operator can be a true force to be reckoned with.

[h3]YEAR 9 - AZAMI'S KIBA BARRIER[/h3]
Kiba Barriers have allowed Azami to become one of the strongest operators in the defender lineup, giving her the ability to control areas and create angles which are difficult for opponents to deal with and see. We'll be making changes to decrease the robustness of her gadget and to give attackers the option to play more aggressively against her. Once these changes are ready, we'll be testing and evaluating them with community feedback, ensuring that they are effective and balanced.

[h2]CONCLUSION[/h2]
Community concerns are our concerns: we are refactoring and making proactive changes behind the scenes to answer the feedback you are sharing with us to make siege this unique tactical shooter experience we all enjoy.

Oh boy, I'm playing Rainbow Six Siege again. For four years I played almost daily, and then I burnt out. I've only picked up the game a few times since 2021, and phew, things sure are different. Loading up the main menu felt like going back home after four years of college. The walls are the same, but the furniture's all new and my old room is a gym...
Read more.

In this latest edition of Designer's Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that'll come with the Y8S3 Update and give you some insight into the reasons behind them.



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]MESSAGE FROM THE TEAM[/h2]

We've been observing both Iana and Warden's continuous ascent to the top tiers of presence in matches. We are aware of the situation and the issues behind it.
Iana's high presence is mainly driven by her access to Frag Grenades, while Warden's high presence relates to the strength of 1.5x sights on Defender loadouts. The Community's sentiments over this topic are in alignment with ours. These operators need changes, and we will take action in an upcoming mid-season patch to make sure they feel less like "must picks" and more like weighted choices within a squad's lineup.

This mid-season patch adjustment is aimed at allowing more operator diversity in matches in the short term, but we are working in parallel on a bigger solution that will attend the balance situation of Frag Grenades and the 1.5x sight within Siege. Both elements are widespread through our lineup of operators, and we know that shuffling them around is not a sustainable solution, that is why we are taking the time to polish a more substantial set of changes that should open up more balancing options allowing us to make less "binary" changes in the future.

[h2]OPERATOR BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]CLUSTER CHARGE[/h3]

• Can be deployed on Deployable Shields and Talon Shields
  

Now that Fuze can deploy the Cluster Charge on reinforcements, we will also allow him to do it on Deployable shields and Talon Shields. It is a small change but will create a new synergy between Fuze and Osa, allowing the use of his charges in places that weren't possible before. Though there is a cost. As with any other bulletproof glass, the Cluster Charge will shatter the shields when the drilling is successful.

[h3]ARGUS CAMERA[/h3]

• Can pierce through Deployable Shields and Talon Shields.
  

This change won't have a huge impact on matches, but it will bring consistency to the rules of piercing, if the gadget can get through reinforcements, it should also be capable of piercing Deployable and Talon Shields. Since the piercing action of the Argus Camera cannot shatter Mira's Black Mirror, then the same rule applies to shields, so they won't shatter either.

[h3]KAWAN HIVE LAUNCHER[/h3]

• Switch Ability Mode to Sticky (default) or Bouncy
  

One of the main weaknesses of Grim is the need to have line of sight with the location you want to activate the Hive in. With this update, we are introducing a new firing mode to address this. From now on, Grim can select if the projectile will stick or bounce after touching a surface. This adds to all the changes done in the previous season and will help you to apply the effect on your target.

[h3]BASE STATS[/h3]

• Gadget refill timer Reduced to 20 seconds (from 30)
  
• Max resources Increased to 9 mines (from 8)
  

[h3]GU MINE[/h3]

• Gadget type is now Mechanical (unaffected by EMPs)
  
• Initial damage Increased to 5hp (from 0)
  
• Poison damage Increased to 12hp (from 8)
  
• Poison timer Reduced to 2 seconds (from 2.5)
  
• Cloaking removed
  
• HUD Icon removed
  
• Stepping on a GU Mine while being affected by another will reset the Poison timer and deal the Poison damage instantly.
  
• Added Area of Effect feedback
  

LOADOUT

Added Super Shorty as a secondary weapon option

Dying because of something invisible is a source of frustration and is why we removed the initial damage from the GU mine at the beginning of Year 5. But this change also removed a situation we've been trying to recover for some time: the fear of stepping on multiple mines in a row.

We have reintroduced the initial damage and made stepping on multiple mines a bit spicier. If you are already poisoned by a GU mine and trigger another, you will receive the initial damage and an instant tick of poison damage from the one already on your foot, so you will need to be more careful. These 2 changes turn the mines into a threat again. We are also tweaking some extra values, like the poison damage and the timer, to make removing the nail more urgent.

Because of these changes we have decided to remove the cloaking completely, making GU mines always visible. This should eliminate the frustration and increase the skill ceiling, as you will need to look for good locations to place your mines. This also removes the only electronic part of the device, so IQ won't be able to detect them, and Brava won't be able to hack them.

[h2]GADGET BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]BASE STATS[/h3]

• Bulletproof Glass: Hitting the shield with a melee will shatter the glass windows.
  

We have taken the opportunity to update the Shattered Glass System for Deployable Shields along with the changes to Fuze. If the shield receives a melee hit, the glass of the windows will be shattered.

[h2]WEAPON BALANCING[/h2]

[h3]BASE STATS[/h3]

• Every shotgun excluding the BOSG 12, TCSG12 and ACS12 have had the following changes.
  
• Ranges are normalized into 3 stages.
  
• 0-5 meters, each pellet deals 100% of the base damage
  
• 6-10 meters , each pellet deals 75% of the base damage
  
• 13 meters and above, each pellet deals 45% of the base damage
  
• Headshot modifier: A pellet getting the headshot modifier deals 1.5x the damage after its range modifier.
  
• Hip fire spread has been revisited and redistributed across the board.
  
• Shooting while aiming down sight results in a tighter spread across the board. Note that this effect is not new, just being increased to reward players when aiming down sights.
  
• Moving increases the spread.
  

This is a big pass on every classical shotgun in the game. With these changes we are adding consistency and something you can learn. Ranges are normalized and based on the average kill distance in the game as well as the m590A1, which we know is a favorite at this time. The goal here is to reward good practices such as aiming for the head or holding angles. These changes are aimed at making shotguns less spray and pray, and more worthy as an option without removing what is currently working.

[h2]PLAYLIST ECOSYSTEM UPDATE[/h2]

As announced during the year 8 reveal, we started to look at how we could change Quick Match to make it much more... well "Quick." We realized that we needed to make tweaks to other playlists for this new Quick Match to fit.

[h3]BASE CHANGES[/h3]

• Action phase reduced to 165s (from 180).
  
• Operator pick phase duration reduced to 20s (from 30). Additionally, if the round did not involve a role swap, the operator pick phase is reduced to 15s.
  
• Preparation phase reduced to 30s (from 45).
  
• Objective locations are automatically revealed for attackers at the start of the round.
  
• Clearance Level availability increased to CL 10
  
• We have made some tweaks to the matchmaking algorithm for Quick Match to find matches quicker.
  
• We will be applying a soft reset to the casual skill level algorithm to bring everyone closer together, which should result in finding matches even faster.
  

We are also taking this chance to implement 2 new concepts to the Quick Match playlist: Pre-Setups and the Attacker Safeguard


[h3]PRE-SETUPS[/h3]

For every map in the map pool, we have designed 2 sets of pre-setups for every bombsite (this new feature is bomb exclusive) which include a number of pre-deployed reinforcements on the map as well as pre-placed rotations and holes.
These new pre-setups will allow defenders to jump into the action right away without having to worry about reinforcing the entire site.

[h3]ATTACKER SAFEGUARD[/h3]

Attackers in Quick Match will no longer have to worry about possible spawn peaks or runouts at the beginning of the round as we are implementing 10 seconds of invulnerability at the start of the Action Phase (for attackers only). An attacker will become vulnerable again after those 10 seconds or if that attacker enters the building. This way, attackers will be able to approach the building without having to check every window.

We are also extending the already known "Red Walls" for 10 additional seconds to keep defenders from exiting the building while the attackers are making their approach.

These changes are aimed at making Quick Match a place in Rainbow Six: Siege that allows you to jump straight into the action and jump out to another match. We want players to feel that they can have their R6 fix easier, without having to worry about the basic and repetitive actions of a normal Siege match.

Additionally, we wanted to address the fact that some of the more classic maps in the casual map pool will not be included in the new Quick Match. We know that losing access to these maps can be frustrating and we will actively work towards adding them back to the map pool as soon as they are ready with their own new pre-setups.

Part of this update includes changing what was previously Unranked and giving it a new identity inside Rainbow Six: Siege. With the Quick Match updates, we were losing a place in the game to experience a core Siege match outside of the Ranked environment, that's why we decided to shift Unranked into what we now call the "Standard" playlist.

Standard will now also be the recommended playlist for new players coming into the game.

[h3]BASE CHANGES
[/h3]

• Removal of Operator and Map ban phases.
  
• Overtime rounds changed to 1 (from 3).
  
• Clearance Level availability changed to CL 0.
  
• We are renaming the competitive cluster to "Tactical" in order to better inform players about the type of playlists that can be found inside.