Year Six in Rainbow Six Siege is due to begin very soon!
Operation Crimson Heist is being introduced to Rainbow Six Siege later today and we have everything you need to know about it below.
Like every other season, we're getting a new Operator, weapon tweaks, a map rework, and a whole lot more.
LATEST - Start Time
If you haven't downloaded the latest Title Update for Rainbow Six Siege and the Operation Crimson Heist content, what are you waiting for!
The download has been live for a little while now and it offers players a fantastic chance to get ahead of the new update so they can jump in as soon as it begins.
READ MORE: Is Rainbow Six Siege Dying In 2021? We Don't Think So
With that being said, when does it begin?
Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crimson Heist is due to go live at 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT on March 16th, 2021.
Gameplay Fixes Inbound
We've all got that one glitch that annoys us, right? Well, Ubisoft is trying to change that.
The Operation Crimson Heist Y6S1 update for Rainbow Six Siege is going to introduce a series of gameplay fixes alongside all the fantastic new content.
Below, we have some of them listed out for you to look over.
- FIXED – Various invite and matchmaking errors.
- FIXED – Various Deployable Shield issues.
- FIXED – The first situation "01 CQB Basics" is not available throughout the PlayGo .
- FIXED – Online Custom Game hosts are unable to create a second online match.
- FIXED – Various issues occur when the second to last player alive is eliminated right before the last player.
- FIXED – Operators in DBNO can move freely while being revived by the Finka's Adrenal Surge or Stim Pistol.
- FIXED – Navigate secondary input doesn't work to exit rappel.
- FIXED – Planting the Defuser on top of the round table located in 1F Lobby will destroys it.
- FIXED – Missing blue in-use light on cameras when an Attacker is standing in the Jammer effect radius.
- FIXED – The HUD counter does not always display the accurate number of opponent AI in Elimination.
- FIXED – Users can't vault on shelves in 1F compressor room on Outback map.
- FIXED – During the EOR, the camera displays the inside of the player's head for a fraction of second.
- FIXED – Newly deployed metal objects are not electrified right away when they are deployed in range of a disabled Electro Claw.
- FIXED – When all Attackers and their drones are eliminated after the defuser is planted, the spectator camera fixes on where they were eliminated, instead of the defuser.
- FIXED – The reactivation of Kaid's Electro Claw is delayed after being disabled by Thatcher's EMP Grenade.
READ MORE: Why Is Rainbow six Called "Rainbow Six" Though?
- LEVEL DESIGN
- FIXED – Various new iterations of LOD issues present on Consulate and Skyscraper map.
- FIXED – Various lighting issues on maps.
- FIXED – Multiple map asset destruction and collision issues.
- FIXED - Exploitable gaps in various map areas.
- FIXED - Hatches have inconsistent bullet penetration.
- FIXED – Various defuser planting and retrieval issues in specific areas on maps.
- FIXED – Certain deployable gadgets cannot be deployed on the blue carpet located at 2F Piano Room on Outback map.
- OPERATORS
- FIXED – Weapons customized during the Planning Phase are not visually updated in Operators section.
- FIXED – Mira's Black Mirror can be deployed on the wrong side of a reinforced wall.
- FIXED – Various visual fixes and clipping issues for Operators and their gadgets.
- FIXED – Mozzie's Pest Launcher loses its functionality after it is shot on top of Gridlock's Trax Stingers.
- FIXED – When fired at a barricade that is then removed, Hibana's X-Kairos pellets float in mid-air.
- FIXED – Forced unlean and various minor animation issues.
- FIXED – Oryx's Remah Dash can hit Attackers behind reinforced walls
- FIXED – Minor overlay animation issues for operators and their gadgets.
- FIXED – Multiple clipping issues for Operator weapons, headgear, and uniforms.
- FIXED – Twitch's Shock Drone cannot fire through debris.
- FIXED – Thatcher's EMP Grenade will not disable Clash's CCE Shield when activating the shield at the same time as the EMP explosion.
- FIXED – Mira's Black Mirror has a bigger hitbox when held.
- FIXED – Multiple issues while using Aruni's Surya Gate.
- FIXED – Invisible phone in the animation that occurs when IQ selects Observation Tools.
- FIXED – Kali's CSRX 300 shows a damage value of 97 instead of 122.
- FIXED – VFX for Mute is missing in certain circumstances.
- FIXED – Frost's Welcome Mat will not deploy on some elevated surfaces.
- FIXED – When Alibi's Prisma is thrown and hit midair by Thatcher's EMP Grenade, the opening animation still occurs.
- FIXED – Friendly Fire penalty occurs when an ally destroys Hibana's X-Kairos pellets on a reinforced hatch.
- FIXED – Aruni's melee cannot destroy Gridlock's Trax Stingers when Aruni is played by the host in a Local Custom Game.
- FIXED – Pest warning is displayed when the player uses Observation Tools after capturing a drone as Mozzie.
- FIXED – Zero's Argus Launcher has a green highlight when ADS is activated at the end-of-round replay.
- FIXED – Inconsistent deployment prompt for Kapkan's Entry Denial Device.
- FIXED – Deploying Mute's Signal Disruptor while Observation Tools are in use by Attackers prevents them from being jammed.
- FIXED – Disabled effects remain on Wamai's Mag-NET when it self-destructs.
- FIXED – Alibi's Prisma doesn't redeploy after falling through a hatch.
- FIXED – White light on Clash's CCE Shield does not turn off when the shield is disabled by Thatcher's EMP Grenade.
- FIXED – The disabled state for Echo's Yokai does not appear for players who join a game in progress
- USER EXPERIENCE
- FIXED – Various performance issues on PS5.
- FIXED – A black screen appears when the game is booted on Xbox One X.
- FIXED – Various issues with Ubisoft notifications and Rewards.
- FIXED – Friendly fire prompt does not appear when a match cancellation prompt is active.
- FIXED – Bundles don't appear as owned when buying a larger bundle that contains them.
- FIXED – Multiple UI improvements and fixes.
- FIXED – Minor voice over and audio issues.
- FIXED – Minor cosmetic and shop fixes.
- FIXED – Various issues with chat accessibility features.
- FIXED – Various localization issues throughout the game.
- FIXED – Defenders can prevent a match cancellation by prematurely ending the round.
- FIXED – Getting shot by Maestro's Evil Eye causes the game to crash.
- FIXED – Switching from one monitor to another removes the first monitor's resolution presets.
Y6S1 Release Date
Rainbow Six Siege isn't the only game out there to have a seasonal Battle Pass, so fans should be familiar with how it will work.
If you own the seasonal Battle Pass ahead of Operation Crimson Heist, the new Rainbow Six Siege update will drop on March 16th, 2021.
If you don't, and you want to wait before you buy it, Operation Crimson Heist will release worldwide on March 30th, 2021.
READ MORE: When Does Siege's Crimson Heist Start?
This means that, although all the additional gameplay changes and tweaks will be added to the game on March 16, the new content won't be available for everyone for another two weeks after this.
If you're looking to get a head start on Flores, you might want to consider picking up the Battle Pass...
New Operator - Flores
Santiago "Flores" Lucero is the newest Attacking Operator to be added to Rainbow Six Siege's line-up and follows the trend of being the only new Operator added in the next season.
" Getting the job done often requires a creative approach. That's where I come in."
Below, we've listed his Loadout to help you get fully acquainted before he releases:
- Primary Option #1 - AR33 (Assault Rifle)
- Primary Option #2 - SR-25 (Marksman Rifle)
- Secondary Weapon - GSH-18 ( Handgun)
- Gadget Option #1 - Stun Grenade x3
- Gadget Option #2 - Claymore x1
In addition to this Flores' unique Gadget is the RCE-Ratero Charge. This "Explosive Drone" truly is a game-changer and will undoubtedly put Flores somewhere high in the meta going forward.
The RCE-Ratero has a ten-second timer that will trigger the three-second explosion countdown when it times out.
READ MORE: Siege's Newest Operator Is Going To Be Insane
When it is counting down, it cannot move but also has bulletproof armour. Unlike regular Drones, the RCE-Ratero cannot stop or reverse.
Although it will be a little harder to control, the RCE-Ratero could be a hugely disruptive force to the Defenders if used correctly.
Map Changes - Border Rework
As a map, Border has been in Rainbow Six Siege for a long time now and it was long-overdue a face-lift.
In the Border Rework, which you can see detailed below, we're going to get the following improvements:
- Streamlined sightlines throughout
- Bathroom-Tellers Bombsite redesign
- Break Room flanking routes
- New Stairs outside Archives
We're not fully sure how this will affect the standard map strategies that are used but we can imagine this will favour Operators like Caviera that are designed to push back against the Attackers.
Operator Tweaks
We'll keep this one brief. Here are the Operator tweaks that have been introduced to the Siege test servers ahead of the launch of Operation Crimson Heist and Y6S1.
Kali Balances
- Increased CSRX 300 damage to 127 (from 122)
- 1 body shot will kill a 3-speed Operator
- 1 body shot will DBNO a 2-speed Operator
- 1 body shot will DBNO a 1-speed Operator
- Wearing Rook Vest
- 1 body shot will DBNO a 3-speed Operator
- 2 body shots will DBNO a 2-speed Operator
- 2 body shots will DBNO a 1-speed Operator
READ MORE: Kali Is One Of The Best Operators Going Forward Into Y6S1
Blackbeard Balances
- Reduced Shield HP to 20 (from 50)
- Reduced MK17 damage to 40 (from 49)
Dokkaebi Balances
- Added Gonne-6 (Removed C75)
- Added Stun Grenades (Removed Frag Grenades)
Finka Balances
- Added Gonne-6 (Removed GSH-18)
- Added Stun Grenades (Removed Frag Grenades)
Mozzie Balances
- A warning will hint at the distance to Pests by modifying its blinking speed
Nokk Balances
- While HEL Presence Reduction is active, Nøkk won't activate proximity-based gadgets
- Gadgets affected: Ela's Grzmot Mine, Melusi’s Banshee, Kapkan’s Entry Denial Device, Proximity Alarm, and Metal Detectors
- Nøkk's glitch effect will cancel the proximity immunity, resulting in the activation of any gadget in range
- The colour of the HEL device on Nøkk’s hand will change colour when bypassing any proximity device
Twitch Balances
- Added Smoke Grenades (Removed Stun Grenades)
Patch Notes
Although we don't have the full Patch Notes just yet, the Operator Tweaks above and the Weapon Balancing we're going to talk about below give us a good picture of what's in store.
At the moment, only one weapon balancing change has been discussed but this will not be the only one.
The G36 has improved recoil which will make it a more reliable weapon going forward. However, be on the lookout for other changes when the full Patch Notes drop.
READ MORE: Operation Crimson Heist Is Introducing A Border Rework
All of these changes have been made in the Siege Test Server and are discussed in detail by Ubisoft and the development team here.
Operation Crimson Heist is coming to Rainbow Six Siege for Battle Pass owners on March 16th, 2021, and then worldwide on March 30th, 2021.