The next major update for Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege is ready to drop and there's so much on offer it's hard to figure out what to talk about first! Thorn is joining Team Caviera and the Defenders, Outback is getting a rework, and there's a huge visual overhaul dropping for the HUD! Here's the latest and everything you need to know ahead of the release of the Y6S4 update...
LATEST UPDATE - Release Time & Download Size
Operation High Calibre starts today and there's going to be a staggered release with an hour of Server Downtime that starts at the following times:
- PC (Steam, Uplay, Luna, Stadia)
- 06:00 PST / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT
- Xbox (One, Series X|S)
- 07:00 PST / 10:00 EST / 15:00 GMT
- PlayStation (4, 5)
- 08:00 PST / 11:00 EST / 16:00 GMT
You're not going to need too much space for all this new content - but, it's worth noting that the title update should be the following sizes:
- Steam - 4.8GB
- Uplay - 5.4GB
- Xbox One - 4.1GB
- Xbox Series X|S - 4.3GB
- PlayStation 4 - 4.4GB
- PlayStation 5 - 4.1GB
NEW CONTENT - Thorn & Revamped Outback
Operation High Calibre is introducing a new Operator - Thorn - and making some major changes to how Outback will play.
Thorn is a Defender that should excel in a variety of situations - her unique gadget is a proximity mine with a timed fuse that should force Attackers into interesting positions when trying to avoid it. She is also equipped with the UZIK50GI SMG - High Calibre's new high calibre weapon. This is a slow-firing heavy Submachine Gun that should make light work of weaker Attackers and their cover.
Outback's overhaul is following the trend of Ubisoft's recent map reworks - its layout will be largely the same but interior locations are being tweaked and walls are being removed (or added) to improve the flow of the map and objective placement. There's also going to be a visual overhaul that should help make Outback feel more like a map you'd see in a game in 2021 - not a map from early 2019.
MORE CHANGES - HUD Rework & Gadget alterations
These aren't the only things on the way in the Operation High Calibre update, though.
Siege's HUD system and UI is going to be visually overhauled to better suit the style of Siege's content going forwards. This isn't just a font change, either, there's going to be major improvements to the iconography of the ping system to make navigation and voice-less communication that much more effective.
In addition to this, Camera Gadgets and Drone Gadgets are being brought in-line with one another and should follow the same set of rules going forwards. Both now expire when outside the Main Building and their usefulness in interior locations is being improved.
Furthermore, Finka's Adrenal Surge is getting a minor buff - She will now be able to revive herself with her unique gadget if she has a charge available. This should make her much more of a viable pick going forwards and introduce a new angle of strategy to her gameplay and in any team that uses her.
PATCH NOTES - Everything laid out for you
Of course, there's a lot more to come. Here is a set of Patch Notes of everything we know so far - we could see an updated list drop when Operation High Calibre comes out, though. So, keep your eyes peeled!
New Operator
- Thorn
- Primary Weapon: UZK50Gi / M870
- Secondary Weapon: 1911 TACOPS / C75 Auto
- Gadget: Deployable Shield / Barbed Wire
- Health & Speed: 2 / 2
- Unique Ability: Razorbloom Shell
Outback Map Rework
- New Locations Added
- 1F Convenience Store, 1F Compressor Room, 1F Gear Store, and 1F Beer Fridge have been combined into 1F Bike Repair and 1F Mechanic Shop.
- 2F Office Supply is larger and has an exterior soft wall.
- 1F Restaurant has been split into two rooms: 1F Restaurant and 1F Shark.
- 2F Covered Terrace is now an interior area that connects 2F Mezzanine and 2F Piano Room. The 2F Piano Room stairs have been removed.
- Bomb Site Changes
- The bombsites that were previously in 2F Dorms and 2F Laundry have been moved to 2F Laundry and 2F Piano Room.
Operator Price Decreases
- Nomad & Kaid
- Now 10,000 Renown / 240 R6 Credits
- Kali & Wamai
- Now 15,000 Renown / 360 R6 Credits
- Aruni
- Now 20,000 Renown / 480 R6 Credits
Operator Balancing Changes
- Finka
- She can now use the Adrenal Surge to revive herself, which is more consistent with other devices in-game, like Doc's Stim Pistol.
- Her recoil boost has been removed.
- The Adrenal Surge cooldown has been increased to 20 seconds (was 10 seconds).
- Echo / Mozzie
- Increased drones' time outside the building to 10 seconds (was 3 seconds).
- Bulletproof Camera Rework
- Defenders can now rotate the Bulletproof Camera and use it to fire EMP bursts that disable opponent devices. EMP bursts cannot be fired by Attackers when the camera is hacked.
- Camera Lose Signal
- When placed outdoors, Valkyrie's Black Eye, Maestro's Evil Eye, and the Bulletproof Camera will now lose signal after 10 seconds. The player must pick up and redeploy the cameras elsewhere to regain signal.
Weapon Balancing Changes
- Angled Grip
- The increase to ADS speed provided by the Angled Grip is now 20% less than it was before.
- Reduced Lateral Recoil
- Jager - 416-C
- Ash - RC4
- Vigil - K1A
- Zofia - M762
- Ace - AK-12
- Warden, Dokkaebi, Vigil - SMG-12
- Mozzie, Aruni - P-10 Roni
- Alibi - Mx-4 Storm
Additional Changes
- Team Colours
- Default Team Colours now changes to Red / Blue, referred to as "Your Team" and "Opponents" instead of colours.
- Elite 2.0 Customisation
- Players can customize their Operator's unique abilities in the Loadout section.
- Players can navigate to any Operator in the Operators section and select the Appearance tab to view Headgear, Uniforms, Victory Celebrations, Operator Portraits, and Card Backgrounds.
- Players can customize their Operator Cards by mixing and matching Operator Portraits and Card Backgrounds. Their selections will be seen by teammates before everyone loads into the match and in various places in-game. They will also be seen by opponents they eliminate.
- UX and UI changes have been made to various customization menus to improve player comfort.
- 3D Weapon Skins
- Players can now acquire Exotic weapon skins during their Battle Pass progression. These new weapon skins have a unique 3D effect.
- Drone Counter
- Defenders now have access to a drone counter in the HUD to help them keep track of the number of regular drones they've destroyed. This feature can be turned off in the HUD section of the Options menu.
- HUD Rework
- Visuals for the HUD have been updated to be more in line with the game's art direction.
- Compass now displays pings and other marker locations, as well as feedback for height differences.
- Loadout (weapons, gadgets and unique abilities) was regrouped together to follow more consistent display rules.
- Text action reminders (ex: Press [SPACE] to Vault) have been replaced with icons to take up less space.
- Player Privacy
- A new Privacy section in the Options menu allows players to adjust settings related to in-game privacy.