The constant work of our balancing team aims at improving the game experience and the overall game balance. Statistics gathered since the beginning of Operation Phantom Sight have played a major role in the upcoming changes detailed below.
Balancing changes are also motivated by community feedback, which is often an indicator helping us to pinpoint specific issues. A careful analysis relying on data gathered with our internal tools help us to picture what needs to be done. We are about to give you an insight about these statistics and to explain why certain changes have been made.
ATTACKERS
DEFENDERS
Note: these statistics are using a pick rate projection taking into account the Operator ban rate.
CURRENT STATUS
TWITCH With Phantom Sight release[rainbow6.ubisoft.com], we have increased the recoil of the F2 assault rifle. Therefore, her pick rate has reached a more acceptable level: from 60% to 43% presence per round. However, she continues to boast a high Kill / Death ratio from 1.25 to 1.17 and is still a very lethal attacker.
FROST Along with Twitch’s F2 recoil adjustment, we reduced Frost Mats health points, this lead to Frost Mats to be destroyed more often as they are now destroyed 75% of the time instead of 68% before Phantom sight release.
KAID To increase Kaid’s versatility we added the Nitro Cell to his loadout. This option has become more popular with 65% of people using it against 51% using barbed wires during Wind Bastion.
UPCOMING CHANGES
GLAZ
Glaz’s focus gauge will now be depleted in 6 secs (from 2.5secs).
Glaz’s focus will start depleting after a 120° rotation (from 90°).
Following Glaz’s rework during update Y4S2 and according to the statistics we gathered, Glaz’s rework appeared too drastic and is currently under picked and underpowered.
We are planning on tweaking the penalization while moving and to allow him to hold several angles simultaneously, it is now possible to rotate your camera up to 120° without any penalty.
JACKAL
Lowered the number of pings from Jackal’s ability to four (five previously).
Jackal found himself in a situation comparable to Lion. Many comments and feedback from the player base deemed his ability slightly unbalanced.
We are aware that he has been identified as one the most frustrating attackers to play against; we are starting to explore how we can address the situation without making him irrelevant.
This change should give more leeway for tracked opponents to survive and lessen the negativity generated by his ability.
ECHO
Reduced the duration of Echo’s Sonic Burst to 7 secs (10 secs previously).
Echo appears is one of the most reliable and efficient anchor in the game now thanks to his intel gathering and plant denial abilities. We aim at reducing the effect of his Sonic Burst and are also looking at other options for the future.
We also hope that Echo will be less targeted by Operator bans, as he is quite powerful and at the source of frustration in his current form.
SHIELDS
Increased the hip fire spread when using a ballistic shield.
Using melee successfully with a ballistic shield will now put the enemy in a DBNO state.
Ballistic Shields have been an important source of frustration for players and lead to certain behaviour that were not initially intended. By reducing the hip fire accuracy, we want to reduce chances of shielded operators to score headshots too easily without exposing themselves.
The decision to change the shield melee attack, from lethal to non-lethal was decided to avoid players rushing towards an Operator hoping for a trade. We want to reinforce team play and synergy when using these Operators.
MAVERICK
Changed Maverick’s blowtorch sound to a louder one.
Since Maverick has been released, the sound generated by his gadget was often said to be too silent. We have decided to tweak the sound of his blowtorch and recorded and new sample that should be heard more easily by defenders. Let us know what you think!
NØKK
Increased the duration of the HEL device to 12 secs (from 10 secs).
We would like to increase Nøkk’s performance and to make her slightly more efficient. We have decided to increase the duration of her ability to allow players to use her full potential.
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We will be updating the following list regularly to outline the status of certain issues that are currently pressing for our community. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and should only be used as a reference to give a general idea of where our focus currently is.
TOP ISSUES
SOUND BUGS Description: Muffled, missing sounds + various sound issues. Status: We have identified a bug that allows sound to travel more easily that intended through solid objects/walls. We are also continuing to go through videos that are sent to us to identify standalone sound/audio issues.
CONNECTIVITY Description: Players are losing control on their Operator and then being disconnected and presented with an error message. Status: We have dedicated a team specifically to these connectivity topics, and have identified a couple of issues that are sometimes interpreted as a “Denial of Service” attacks. These issues are a priority for us.
TOP GAMEPLAY TOPICS
SMOKE GAS CANISTER PROPAGATION Description: Gas from Smoke’s Gas Grenades clips through walls. Objective: Our goal is to rework the propagation so it is similar to the new Capitao fire bolt, and use this as an opportunity to revisit the visual. Status: [Target: During Y4S3] We have encountered an issue and will be pushing this change to Season 3 to ensure that it is released in a more comfortable state.
WEAPON SIGHT ALIGNMENT Description: Weapon optics are a few pixels off center in some situations. Objective: We want to implement a system to prevent most misalignment issues in the future. At the same time, we are improving the look of the guns in ADS by adding secondary motion, which is now possible due to the tech that keeps the scopes aligned with the reticule. Status: [Target: During Y4S3] Feedback is currently being gathered in internal play sessions.
SHOTGUN WALL DESTRUCTION IS UNRELIABLE Description: Shotguns are inconsistent when being used to destroy wooden beams. Objective: We want to ensure that the destruction of wooden beams is reliable, for both player comfort and ensuring we do not force players to spend extra time attempting to destroy wooden beams. Status: [Target: Y4S2.3] We are assessing the initial results of the change, and continuing to fine tune the destruction..
OPERATOR/GADGET KILL SWITCH Description: Operators that are disruptive due to exploits being removed from play. Objective: When an Operator or Gadget is disabled, provide players with feedback on what/why. Status: [Target: During Y4S3] We have a bit of programming work left, and some UI work as well.
DEBRIS STUCK IN WINDOW/DOOR BARRICADES Description: Debris sometimes remains stuck in the barricades on doors and windows, causing players to have different sight lines. Objective: Provide consistency for all players for barricade destruction. Status: [Target: Potentially Y5S1] We are currently in the design phase to determine how we want to approach this topic. We are exploring and prototyping different options.
ECHO YOKAI CLOAKING Description: With the deployment of the Y4S2.2 patch, we implemented a fix for Yokai being seen through the glass sections of Attacker’s shields. This had the unintended effect of making Echo’s drone invisible. Objective: Our balancing team’s intent is to make Yokai Drones more easily spotted in a later update. Status: [Target: TBD] We will address this issue in a future patch. Once we have more information, we will provide an update.
TOP BALANCING TOPIC
SOPERATOR BANS Description: We have seen a high ban rate for Blitz, Jackal, Echo, and Caveira in Ranked. Status: We are discussing how we want to approach topic of balancing around Pick/Ban in Ranked, and the Operators that are affected the most by it.
SMOKE Description: Adjustments to the damage curve for Smoke’s Gas Canister will move Smoke further towards an area denial role. Status: [On Hold] We are satisfied overall with how this is developing, but but need to put it on hold until other dependencies are delivered.
The Y4S2.2 patch will be primarily bugfixes aimed at cleaning up issues raised during the Test Server and during the early weeks of season release while we prepare for the next update and work on other major issues. Clash and deployable shields have previously been re-enabled on live servers across all platforms, but we are continuing to monitor the fix that went out.
GAMEPLAY
Updated parameters for Reverse Friendly Fire interactions with hostage
RFF triggers for hostage interactions have been aligned to be more reflective of global RFF parameters
Lesion Gu Mine Cloaking
Lesion Gu Mine cloaking mechanics have been updated with Echo’s cloaking mechanic to prevent detection through ballistic shields.
Idle Kick
Reduced Idle kick timer during prep phase.
Additional new idle-kick feedback warning prompt.
BUG FIXES
Fixed – Attackers can break their rotation axis through a series of steps, allowing them to spin like a top. No more Beyblade.
Fixed – Placing certain gadgets (Jammer, Prisma, Evil Eye, etc.) in front of a destructible wall segment can interfere with later attempts to reinforce.
Fixed – Shield operators can see an invisible Yokai VFX through their shield when the glass is damaged.
Fixed – Players can lose partial functionality if they started to defuse at the same time as another defender.
Fixed – Sometimes the Defuser can be pushed outside the bomb site by interactions with barricades and wall reinforcements.
Fixed – Players are kicked after putting the hostage in DBNO during prep phase.
OPERATORS
ECHO
Fixed – Echo drones fixed on a ceiling hatch continue to stay in place even after hatch is destroyed.
MOZZIE
Fixed – Mozzie’s hacked drone view for Defender Operators in Support mode are in color when they should be black + white. (Only Mozzie should see hacked drones in full-color).
NOMAD
Fixed –Airjab proximity SFX is not present in replays.
NØKK
Fixed – Glitches feedback in first person POV continues playing after leaving rappel.
WARDEN
Fixed –HUD becomes larger when deploying a shield, placing a reinforcement, or when on a ladder.
TWITCH
Fixed – Shock drone’s beams cannot travel through railings on some maps to destroy cameras
Fixed – Twitch drone view for Defender Operators in Support mode are in color when they should be black + white. (Only Twitch should see her drones in full-color).
LEVEL DESIGN
BANK
Fixed – Players can vault the shelves at 1F Electrical Room.
Fixed – Drone can be thrown into ceiling of 1F Teller’s Office.
Fixed – Missing entry prompt when rappelling down from EXT Low Roof Skylight.
Fixed – Operators clip through the South building’s wall when rappeling down EXT Low Roof while holding the hostage.
Fixed – Lesion cannot deploy his Gu mines on a specific location at the entrance of Ext Tunnel.
BORDER
Fixed – Players can vault and go through ceiling areas of EXT Pedestrian Customs.
Fixed – Missing drone collision with in 1F Workshop allows drones to scan without being spotted.
COASTLINE
Fixed – Attackers can vault onto the purple tarps from EXT rooftop.
Fixed – Defender drones lose reception in the 2F VIP Lounge drone hole.
CONSULATE
Fixed – Drones can be thrown between the floorboards above B Garage.
CLUBHOUSE
Fixed – Obstructed ADS vision in B Escape Tunnel.
Fixed – One of the soft walls in B Container cannot be reinforced from the outside at EXT Construction Site.
FORTRESS
Fixed – LOD issues with glass display in 2F Museum Room.
HEREFORD BASE
Fixed – Missing barricade at the start of a round in 2F Sewing Room.
VILLA
Fixed – Various window clipping and texture issues.
Fixed – Flash Bang effects can pass through the stained glass windows on Villa onto the other side.
Fixed – It is difficult to deploy Gadgets on some of the windows/flat window surfaces where they should be able to be deployed.
KAFE
Fixed – LOD issue in 2F Pillar Room.
Fixed – Players can prone and hide in a shelf in 3F Bar Backstore.
Fixed – Blocked windows from previous Kafe showing red outlines during preparation phase.
Fixed – Operators can hide inside the cupboards in 1F Dining Room
Fixed – Floating debris after destroying the wall in 2F Fireplace Hall.
Fixed – Minor missing visual elements.
Fixed – [Situations] Drone can remain stuck inside a tree after spawning in EXT Park.
OREGON
Fixed – Missing collision with doorstep when the floor is destroyed allows gadgets to pass through a beam.
Fixed – Operators can clip through the B Tower Stairs.
OUTBACK
Fixed – Players can vault onto the vending machine in 2F Garage Lounge.
SKYSCRAPER
Fixed – Missing compass location after rappelling towards EXT Dragon Statue.
USER EXPERIENCE
Fixed – Spamming of special characters in All Text chat causes freezing.
Fixed – Players are put into a situation instantly after cancelling a discovery queue.
Fixed – Updates to various UI elements.
Fixed – Fixes for some modeling and texture issues.
Fixed – Swapping between guns will make ADS to be offset when in Support mode.
Over the course of the Test Server we’ve made a number of changes based on feedback and addressed a number of bugs reported on the TS. For the full season patch notes please go to: http://rainbow6.com/phantomsight.
GAMEPLAY
BALANCING CHANGES STEALTH GAUGE
Vigil’s ERC-7 cloaking and Caveira’s Silent step now use the same new gauge behavior system that we have introduced with Nøkk.
All three abilities can be activated at any time (even while refilling) if above 20% ratio.
We have unified the stealth gauge system to maintain gameplay clarity and consistency.
FROST
Reduce Frost’s Welcome Mats to 66 HP (down from 100 HP)
By reducing the health points of Frost traps, we aim at making them easier to destroy. At 100 HP, we felt Frost Mats were sometimes too hard to destroy, and we want cautious players to be rewarded accordingly.
KAID
Swapping Kaid’s barbed wire for Nitro Cell.
We are replacing Kaid’s barbed wire for the Nitro Cell after reviewing Kaid’s performance and player feedback. By adding the C4 to his loadout, we hope to make him more versatile and to up his pickrate.
PULSE
Decreased to Pulses Cardiac Sensor unequipping time to 0.65s (down from 0.8s)
By increasing the swap speed of Pulse’s gadget, we are trying to make Pulse’s gadget a bit more appealing and comfortable to use during a round. Following community feedback on the change over the course of the TS, we feel 0.65 is a good middle ground.
TWITCH
F2 assault rifle recoil increased.
We have increased the recoil of the F2 assault rifle. As an Operator with one of the highest performance and pick rates, having one of the most powerful weapons in her hands made her a bit too powerful. To address this, we’ve increased the recoil of the Famas based on feedback and will continue monitoring for future changes.
SOUND PROPAGATION CHANGES We have been continuously working to gradually improve sound propagation in game and on our maps. With this Y4S2 update we’ve made global improvements to sound propagation in order to address inconsistent results when interacting with reinforcements.
Fixed inconsistent propagation obstruction on partially reinforced walls.
Fixed inconsistent propagation on reinforced tall walls with a destroyable upper half where sound would not pass.
With this fix we’re aware that an issue still exists where sound will propagate over broken walls even when the wall is reinforced. We will continue working to address it in a future update.
CHANGES TO UBICLUB CHALLENGES , TROPHIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS.
With this new season, our trophies and achievements are modified to offer challenges that are corresponding to the current Siege experience.
Here is how different platforms will be impacted, keep in mind that completion criteria might have changed. (Check trophy description if needed.)
PS4/PC
Trophies in progress and not finished will be reset.
Trophies completed, will still be completed, but their description and visual aspect will be updated.
XBOXONE
Trophies in progress and not finished, will see their progression carried over.
Trophies completed, will still be completed, but their description and visual aspect will be updated.
With the start of the new season, Ubisoft Club Challenges will now run on a Thursday to Thursday schedule.
EXPLOITS We are continuing to work to address the exploits involving Clash, Claymores, and Deployable Shields. The final fix should be deployed during the season. In the meantime, we will be pushing a partial fix and additional fail-safes that will allow us to re-enable Clash, deployable shields, and claymores. The goal of these failsafes is to make sure that the glitches cannot be exploited even in the chance that they are replicated.
Clash: Added a failsafe that resets them back to normal if they achieve the glitch.
IQ: Added a failsafe that turns her visible if she manages to go invisible.
Deployable shields: Added a failsafe that will not allow players to shoot if they glitch, and the shield will be automatically deployed on the ground after 2 seconds.
We are also temporarily changing Warden and Nøkk’s secondary gadget loadouts to minimize potential issues.
Warden: Replace 1x Deployable Shield with 2x Impact Grenades
Nøkk: Replace 1x Claymore with 3x Stun Grenades
This change will be in place with the start of the season. We will restore their original loadouts during Season 2 once our complete fix is deployed.
PLAYER EXPERIENCE To provide more readability on defuser assignment, in casual bomb game modes the defuser icon now shows up next to who the defuser is assigned to on the ready screen. If the assigned player leaves during prep phase and the defuser is reassigned, the icon will still be visible on newly assigned player.
BUG FIXES
GAMEPLAY
Fixed – Players can vault onto windowsills via a deployable shield.
Fixed – Audio for drone movement sounds sometimes are not played for 3rd parties after being idle for a few moments.
Fixed – Breach charge deployment audio does not play if the breach charge is at max range.
Fixed – Placing a gadget after rappelling in can cause rubberbanding.
Fixed – L/R camera sweeps in 1st person while performing an action will trigger an instant orientation
Fixed – Operators can fall through the map or remain stuck when rappelling too closely to a structure.
Fixed – Moving around in prone stance while leaning makes no sound.
Fixed – User loses controls of their drone if it is the last to get destroyed during the preparation phase.
OPERATORS BLACKBEARD
Fixed – Blackbeard run speed does not decrease when his rifle shield is equipped.
Fixed – When player rappels with Rifle-Shield, the head is misplaced in third-person view compared to first-person view.
CAPITAO
Fixed – Fire from Capitao’s bolts will fail to propagate if dart is shot at side of beams of destroyed floors/ceilings.
GLAZ
Fixed – EOR replay + killcam doesn’t mirror Glaz scope effect intensity during the kill.
Fixed – After ADSing repeatedly, Glaz light intensity indicators on his scope can sometimes be white in color.
Fixed – Glaz’s Thermal scope in support mode stays at 100% vision regardless of Glaz’s motion; when an ally dies, leaves and reconnects.
LESION
Fixed – Lesion’s Gu mines are invisible when deployed.
MAESTRO
Fixed – Visual desync between Maestro’s evil eye and actual position if it was moved during first moments of a Dokkaebi Logic Bomb.
NOKK
Fixed – Nøkk and breach charge while rappelling causes issues when equipping.
SMOKE
Fixed – Inconsistent gas/smoke propagation on broken floors and ceilings for Smoke.
WARDEN
Fixed – Warden is unable to reinforce a wall or hatch when he is standing too close to it.
Fixed – When Warden barricades right after activating his Smart Glasses, he does not need to hold the deploy key to complete the barricade.
Fixed – Starting a tactical reload from sprinting will obstruct the player’s view for a few frames.
YING
Fixed – Ying’s Candelas will fail to blind non-host players if they the candelas explode after a very short air time
VIGIL
Fixed – Vigil gadget can’t be deactivated when gauge dips below 20%.
LEVEL DESIGN KAFE
Fixed – Shooting a specific spot on Kafe can cause Attacker drones to be destroyed on release.
Fixed – Defenders have a LoS to spawn point in EXT Park Alley in Kafe.
Fixed – LOD issues after destroying the wall between the two rooms of 2F Pillar Room in Kafe.
Fixed – Collision hitbox issues with the chandelier in 2F Mining Room of Kafe.
Fixed – Various clipping issues on Kafe.
Fixed – Various vault issues on Kafe.
Fixed – Players can get into locations/objects they should not be able to access on Kafe .
Fixed – Spawn kill spot in on Kafe.
Fixed – Players can place 2 barricades in one doorway on 3F White Corridor of Kafe.
Fixed – Operators can float between the Christmas tree and the Biohazard Container in 3F Cigar Lounge of Kafe.
Fixed – Players can lay prone inside Cabinet of 3F Cigar Lounge of Kafe.
Fixed – Echo’s Yokai clips through christmas tree of Kafe after falling from the ceiling.
Fixed – Old hatch location in 3F Bar Backstore of Kafe can still be reinforced.
BANK
Fixed – Bank: Opaque white fog appears when an explosion occurs in the room.
HOUSE
Fixed – Walking SFX is muffled on spot in 1F Lobby Stairs of House.
VILLA
Fixed – Stained glass windows on Villa allow sound to propagate through when not broken.
Fixed – Various lighting issues in Villa
Fixed – LOD issue on window cover in 2F Red Stairs from 2F Classical Hall of Villa.
OUTBACK
Fixed – Metallic sound can be heard while shooting the tires of any trailer truck on Outback.
Fixed – Outback bomb sites shown on wrong floor of tactical map.
UX
Fixed – IQ’s gadget is not visible in the in-game menu (loadout, shop menu previews) or MVP screen.
Fixed – The Volcano skin doesn’t apply to SASR weapons.
Fixed – Outdated thumbnail for Smoke and Nokk’s holographic sight.
Fixed – Jammer effects sometimes stay stuck on the caster’s screen.
Fixed – Vsync disabled on player HUB.
Fixed – Floating operator gadgets when searching for a game from the player HUB.
Fixed – Visual glitches + clipping for various Operators while performing some actions.
Fixed – Title screen optimization for ultra-wide screen resolution dimensions.
Fixed – ‘ESC’ key input is triggered twice when the chat box is open.
Fixed – Operator bundles disappear when purchases are made from the 1st party store.
Fixed – Loss of functionality can occur after navigating through charms in the in-game shop.
Fixed – Clipping issue with Bandit Axle 13 uniform.
Fixed – Clipping issue with vaulting with the shield on the back.
Fixed – In loadout, Nokk’s weapon stays on the screen even when viewing other ops.
Fixed – Clipping issue with some operator hands when rejecting Dokkabi’s calls.
Fixed – Vaulting with the shield on the back results in the shield clipping the operator.
Fixed – Recruit has Fuze’s default green ballistic shield skin instead the black ballistic shield skin. It’s good to return things after you’re done borrowing them.
KNOWN ISSUES
DROPSHOTTING We’re aware that players can dropshot with the season update and are working on a fix to be released during the season.
BANDIT AND MUTE ELITE SET ISSUES On consoles, the Elite Bandit Chibi charm and Mute’s SMG-11 Royal Fusiliers weapon skin will be temporarily unavailable at Year 4 Season 2’s launch.
For players who own them, the rest of the Bandit and Mute Elite sets will function normally. However, if the charm or the weapon skin is equipped, it will not show up in the game. They will only be visible in your menu inventory.
The Elite Bandit and Mute sets will be temporarily removed from our Console shops until the issues are fixed in the Y4S2.1 patch. They will once again be unlockable after the patch.
"Operation Phantom Sight is coming our way, and it brings with it two haunting operators, Nøkk and Warden. Both of them greatly skilled specialists, they bring Rainbow Six to new heights with a steadfast and dangerous approach. Phantom Sight also brings with it a refreshing rework of Kafe Dostoyevsky.
Additionally, there are a few gameplay updates worthy of mention. The Reverse Friendly Fire feature is getting an upgrade, and the shop is being refined even more, while the Ranked playlist is also seeing quite a few changes.
Over the past few days, we have been working to address the issues presented from exploits surrounding Clash, IQ, and Deployable Shields. We are currently working on fixes. These combined issues touch on core systems of the game, and will therefore take longer than we consider acceptable to address. We are currently expecting fixes prepared by next week.
With this in mind, we are in the process of deploying a server side update that will disable the following:
CLASH
Clash removed from the Operator Selection screen
DEPLOYABLE SHIELDS
Ammunition count set to 0
CLAYMORES
Ammunition count set to 0
This has also highlighted the importance of reactivity on our part, and the need to act more quickly on issues of this magnitude. As such, our team will develop a more thorough outline for how we should respond to these situations moving forward, with the ultimate goal of improved reaction speed.
Preparation and improvisation are usually opposite concepts, but Collinn “Warden” McKinley somehow manages to encompass both. With a career of 30 years and counting, he has certainly gained the experience to handle all of it.
Hailing from the state of Kentucky, McKinley rose through the ranks of the Marines before he found his calling for close-protection detail in the Secret Service. He demonstrated his skills distinctly when he led the Secretary of State to safety, during an attack where hostiles outmaneuvered all prior planning.
The events of that day gave him the idea for his gadget’s prototype, the Glance Smart Glasses. They reflect the nature of his natural talent, to see what most cannot in order to gain the upper hand in any given situation. He would be just as talented without them, but with them, there’s nothing he can’t tackle.
His tendency to follow his gut and his unshakeable confidence have proved that he is in a league of his own. It’s no wonder that he was recommended by high-ranking government officials. Now that he is part of the team, he faces a new challenge: to determine if his skillset and iron will remain unparalleled when faced with specialists of his own caliber.
Warden is joining the Defending team in Operation Phantom Sight. For more information, follow us on Facebook[www.facebook.com] and Twitter or join the discussion on our subreddit and forums[forums.ubi.com]! Visit our Rainbow Six Twitch Channel[www.twitch.tv] on May 19th for the full reveal of Operation Phantom Sight during the Pro League Finals, live from Milan, Italy.
In this new instalment of Designer’s Notes, we will tell you about imminent balancing changes. However, most importantly, we will offer you to have a glimpse at what we have in store for the future. Some of these changes will be tested on the Y4S2 Test Server, while others are still being tested, tweaked and finalized. We encourage you to download the Test Server client and let us know your feedback!
ATTACHMENTS AND TWEAKS
The Desert Eagle can now be equipped with a muzzle break or a suppressor.
Smoke’s FMG-9 has now the option to be equipped with a Vortex scope (Mozzie’s scope).
Out of consistency, Finka’s ability will now cleanse the resulting tinnitus, While affected by an explosion.
GLAZ
In order to use the OTS-03 scope at maximum efficiency, Glaz players will now have to stand still. Moving in any direction will progressively cause the bright yellow colour to fade out. Extra information will also be displayed on the side of the scope. In the original Operator design, Glaz was supposed to be a long-range operator, but his ability turned out to be underwhelming and rarely used. Therefore, the OTS-03 scope received the ability to see through smokes, while operators were highlighted in bright yellow. These additions made Glaz frustrating to play against and became a very strong close-range operator. He excels as at pushing towards the objective while being visually hidden. It is often difficult to counter him effectively when he uses smokes at his advantage. The current Glaz playstyle does not exactly reflect our initial intentions. To restore the original idea behind the Russian Sniper, our balancing team looked into his entry-fragging ability, and thus pursued the changes listed above.
With Y4S1 release, we increased the swap time between the SURI Torch and his weapons. We are still monitoring community reaction around Maverick. Player feedback indicates that the sound may be too quiet, so we are still looking at audio tweaks; it is too early to share specifics.
SMOKE
A new propagation system for Capitão’s asphyxiating bolts has been introduced. We are now exploring how to use the same technology for other Operators and gadgets.
Smoke’s gas clouds are sometimes clipping through objects, and we are looking to improve its interaction with the environment, and reduce the frustration stemming from misleading visual information. We are also investigating how to adjust the rendering of the gas cloud itself and modifying the damage dealt.
Reworking a gadget in this way so as not to affect performance is a difficult and time-consuming task, so we do not have an ETA for when it will be complete.
DEPLOYABLE SHIELDS
The prototype presented during the Six Invitational was rather convincing during our internal tests. These shields will now align perfectly with doorframes. Black mirror slits have been replaced by regular bulletproof glass, thus giving the opportunity for attackers to spot defenders hiding behind the new shield.
There is still some polishing to do, we will tell you more about these shields when they are ready.
BALLISTIC SHIELDS
We want to reinforce team play when it comes to Shield Operators. We are exploring different options. Again, the frustration generated by certain Shield Operators is being investigated and ware exploring possible solutions that still allow Shield Operators to feel like a solid frontline choice.
Try out the latest Rainbow Six updates on the Test Server and earn and exclusive charm through the Bug Hunter program[rainbow6.com].
Follow us and share your feedback on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook[www.facebook.com], and on our forums[forums.ubi.com].
Nøkk has been a mystery for quite some time. There is very little that anyone outside Rainbow knows about her. For an accomplished undercover agent whose work remains mostly unrecorded, it is amazing that she has managed to hold onto who she is at her core.
Focused and driven, she uses her special operations training to infiltrate, gather intel and defeat her opponents. As a member of the Jægerkorpset, she strikes fear into the hearts of anyone who goes up against her.
On top of that, she harnesses a spirit of loyalty and leads by example to elevate the people she works with. Unlike the general population, her fellow Operators know who she is and welcome her into the fold. The potential scandal her family might face is of little importance to them; she’s one of the best in her field, and they wouldn’t betray her even if it came to that.
https://youtu.be/zoRWqiIjUR0 Her gadget is just the icing on the cake for an already dangerous operative. The HEL, which she worked on to improve with specialist Grace “Dokkaebi” Nam, makes Nøkk nothing short of a ghost, and leaves her opponents looking over their shoulders.
Nøkk is joining the Attacking team in Operation Phantom Sight. For more information, follow us on Facebook[www.facebook.com] and Twitter or join the discussion on our subreddit and forums[forums.ubi.com]! Visit our Rainbow Six Twitch Channel[www.twitch.tv] on May 19th for the full reveal of Operation Phantom Sight during the Pro League Finals, live from Milan, Italy.
Reverse Friendly Fire (RFF) is coming to the live servers tomorrow. When a player abuses the friendly fire mechanic to grief their teammates, this system is activated. We believe that this first version will be a positive step forward in our fight against team killing while maintaining the same intensity and high stakes gameplay that is core to the Rainbow Six Siege experience.
The Y4S1 release of RFF is not our final version of the system. Future iterations and improvements will continue based off data and player feedback.
Community feedback so far has been invaluable and allowed us to make early iterations to the system. For example, RFF can now activate based on total friendly damage. In these cases, there is no validation screen for the offending player’s teammates. We are also striving to make it clearer how operators and gadgets will react to this system. We have consolidated some guidelines below for your reference.
EFFECT OF REVERSE FRIENDLY FIRE
ON WEAPONS/THROWN OBJECTS Impacts:
Primary/secondary weapons
Direct hits from thrown unique gadgets
Exothermic-S Torch (Maverick)
SK 4-12 (Buck)
Mounted LMG (Tachanka; regardless of who’s using the turret)
M120 CREM (Ash) when the breaching round directly hits someone
KS79 Lifeline (Zofia)
Airjab Launcher (Nomad)
Pest Launcher (Mozzie)
Before RFF activation:
Can cause damage to teammates
Will count towards activating RFF
After RFF activation:
Teammates will not receive damage
Will reverse damage dealt
ON EXPLOSIVES Impacts:
Generic gadgets (frag grenade, C4, breach charge) that results in an explosion*
Gas Grenade (Smoke)
TAC MKO asphyxiating bolts (Capitão)
M120 CREM (Ash) when the breaching round explodes
Cluster Charge (Fuze)
*Explosive gadgets that do not do damage (i.e. stun grenades, Ying’s Candela) will not be affected by RFF in any way Before RFF activation:
Can cause damage to teammates
Will count towards activating RFF
After RFF activation:
Can cause damage to teammates
Does not reverse damage dealt*
*Explosives currently will continue to damage teammates even under RFF. This is not intended and will be fixed in Season 2. Exceptions*:
Claymore
Entry Denial Device (Kapkan)
X-Kairos pellets (Hibana)
Exothermic Charge (Thermite)
*These explosives do not trigger RFF. While under RFF, these also do not reverse damage dealt and can continue to damage teammates. This can change in the future with feedback and further game design considerations.
ON DRONES/OPERATOR CAMERAS Impacts:
Evil Eye (Maestro)
Shock Drone (Twitch and Mozzie)
Before RFF activation:
Can cause damage to teammates
Will count towards activating RFF
After RFF activation:
Teammates will not receive damage
Will reverse damage dealt (onto the drone/camera)
MORE TO COME
Further changes for Reverse Friendly Fire will come during Year 4 Season 2. We will introduce situations where the system will activate for the whole squad. How gadgets will react and behave under Reverse Friendly Fire will also be fine-tuned based on data and feedback. We look forward to sharing future developments with you.
We welcome any additional feedback on the Rainbow Six subreddit!
