We have made some adjustments to the matchmaking and ranking systems in Operation Red Crow. We saw that this led to questions from the community, and we have worked with the various teams involved to provide you with some insight. This blog will cover both the matchmaking and rank changes that you have seen come into play following the release of Operation Red Crow.

WHAT IS SKILL?

Your skill represents your ability to win a game. Comparing two teams' skill gives you the probability that one team will win against the other. The higher the difference, the more likely a given team is going to win. When two teams with the same skill levels are matched up with each other, they both have an equal shot at winning. The algorithm used in Rainbow Six Siege assigns two values to each player: an estimation of their skill (μ) and the uncertainty of this estimation (σ). The players’ skills are distributed along a Bell curve, centered around 25 (High Silver – Low Gold).

WHAT IS UNCERTAINTY?

The estimation of your skill is probabilistic. In general, the more games you play, the more information we have about you, and the more confident we are about this estimation. This confidence is represented by the uncertainty value sigma (σ). The lower the uncertainty, the higher the confidence.

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN SKILL AND MMR?

In Season 4, your MMR (Matchmaking Rating) is proportional to your skill (MMR = 100*μ). In the past, we incorporated a progression system that would take your engagement into account when determining your rank. In other words, you needed to lower your uncertainty to achieve higher ranks. That led to a wide distribution of skill within the same rank. For example, a player whose skill we estimate to be Silver but played a lot of games was able to grind ranks as high as Platinum. This created confusion, as facing players of a given rank would lead to very different experiences. Furthermore, by matching players of similar ranks together, there was no guarantee that they would have similar skill levels. Compared to data from previous Seasons, the average disparity in skill level between opposing teams has been cut in half with the new system.
With Rainbow Six Siege being a competitive game, we decided that the MMR should only take your skill into account. The MMR is not a reward system, and any progression you make after a certain point should reflect your improvement in terms of skill.

HOW IS THE MMR UPDATED AFTER A GAME?

The MMR is updated solely on the outcome of your match. If this outcome is unexpected (for example, you lost against players with a lower skill than your team), the skill updates will be more substantial, and vice-versa. In addition to that, the more confident we are about your skill (i.e., if your σ is low), the smaller the updates will be.
Let’s take a simple example with only two players, Craig and Justin. The values in this example do not reflect the actual updates that would happen with our system but it should give you an understanding of the situation. Justin is a Gold player (μ ≈ 29), and has been playing at that level for quite some time. Justin’s rank has a low uncertainty value attached to it, so σ ≈ 3. Justin faces Craig (a Copper ranked player, but he has a lot of heart), and loses. Due to the low uncertainty value, it is likely that Justin just had a bad game, so his skill level would decrease, resulting in μ ≈ 28. This is due to the system taking into account the rank of the enemy you have lost to. If Justin lost to someone that was Gold, the adjustment would be closer to μ ≈ 28.5. Losing to a Diamond would have resulted in a change to μ ≈ 28.9.
That being said, Craig is still relatively new to the game, and our system is attempting to determine where he should be placed (μ ≈ 17 and σ ≈ 6). By Tachanka’s grace, Craig won the match, so we would increase his skill level to 20. His victory against Justin has helped us to determine that he may be a better player, so his uncertainly has dropped a small amount (σ ≈ 5.5). The large increase in skill level rating for is a result of Craig being a fairly unknown player, and our confidence in Justin’s placement.

ARE MATCHES MORE OR LESS BALANCED NOW?

We are seeing an increase in balanced matches following the release of the new system. We measure match balance through two methods. One way to gauge balance is to measure the average skill (μ) level of teams that are playing against each other. While the numerical threshold for different ranks has changed, the overall skill of the community has not. Because of this, comparisons with prior Seasons are still both valid and meaningful. As depicted, we are seeing a positive trend in this regard following the release of Operation Red Crow.



An alternate method for determining balance is by match results. Operation Red Crow is seeing an increase in the number of matches that end with a result of 4-2 and closer. The most notable result is the 2.3% reduction in the number of matches that end in a shutout. This is further evidence that, while the threshold to obtain a certain rank has been adjusted, players are being matched with others much closer to their own ability than in previous Seasons.



HOW DOES MY PERSONAL PERFORMANCE IMPACT THE NUMBER OF POINTS I GET?

It does not. If you get 15 kills per game but lose all of them, then your ability to win a game is very low, hence you should be ranked very low too. Conversely, a player that does not land kills, but still wins often, should be ranked quite high (maybe they make excellent callouts, which is an important factor in a team’s ability to win). The idea is that if you play well, and are an asset to your team, you will naturally win more matches in the long run. This positive influence on winning matches is what we measure.

WHY DO MY FRIENDS AND I GAIN/LOSE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF POINTS AFTER A GAME?

If you both have the same skill, the update will depend on how confident our system is regarding where you are placed. Let’s say that you are both Gold IV but your friend has played a lot more games than you (they have a low uncertainty), you will gain/lose more points than they will.

WHY DID THE THRESHOLD CHANGE?

Due to the removal of the progression aspect of the MMR, we wanted a scale that was easier to understand, and also easier to link with your skill. The new thresholds have nothing to do with the values of Season 3. Attempting to compare the thresholds from Season 3 to those of Season 4 is similar to comparing apples to oranges.

IS THERE A SET NUMBER OF DIAMOND PLAYERS?

No, Diamond players are players with a skill higher than a threshold. They represent the tail of the skill distribution, estimated on data we got from previous Seasons. Why does it feel much faster to achieve Diamond in Season 4? Since we removed the progression system, players do not need to grind to lower their uncertainty in an effort to reach Diamond.

WHY IS IT MUCH EASIER TO ACHIEVE DIAMOND IN SEASON 4?

It is not. It’s just faster for players who deserve it. 80% of current Diamond players already achieved that level of skill in the previous season. Currently, 0.5% of Ranked players in S4 are Diamond players. The 3700 MMR threshold DOES NOT REPRESENT the same skill as the 3700 threshold in Season 3.

WHY DO YOU RESET RANKS AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT ME?

The previous system biased some of our skill estimations. The hard reset (of μ and σ to their initial values) allows us to start fresh and provide you with a more accurate and representative estimation of your skill.
Moreover, the major shift in the META introduced with each new Season justifies a reset.

DOES MY SMURF ACCOUNT RANK UP FASTER THAN MY MAIN?

Not after a hard reset, but otherwise yes. This is due to the fact that after a while, the uncertainty on your main account is low enough for us to be pretty confident about your skill. However, your smurf account’s skill should move towards your main account’s skill, assuming you play in a similar fashion.
The new MMR system should move the smurf account to their actual rank more quickly, thus minimizing the potential negative impact of smurfs in general.

DOES CASUAL TAKES YOUR RANK INTO CONSIDERATION? YOUR CLEARANCE LEVEL?

No. The casual playlist has its own MMR, based on the same system. Your clearance level has no impact on your MMR in either Ranked or Casual.

WHY DOES A 40 MINUTE RANKED MATCH GIVE ME SO FEW MMR POINTS?

The MMR is not a reward system. If we do not have more information about your skill, you won’t move much.

WHERE IS THE PEAK OF THE DISTRIBUTION? BRONZE? SILVER?

The majority of the ranks fall in high Silver and low Gold. As seen in this graph:



IF I USUALLY PLAY WITH THE SAME TEAM, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY MMR AND THE MMR OF THE OTHER PLAYERS ON MY TEAM?

We don’t. If you play exclusively with that team, then we will have a fairly good estimation of the MMR of that team. If you start playing without them, then your MMR will change. It won’t represent your skill, it will represent a mixture of your ability to win by yourself and your ability to win with your team, and this mixture will represent the probability that you’ll play with your team: aggregated, it is the probability that you’ll win in general.

I ENJOYED THE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM GRINDING FOR DIAMOND. WHY DID YOU TAKE THAT AWAY?

As previously stated, having a rank that is a good representation of your actual skill leads to fairer matches. Keeping a ‘’Diamond’’ player in Gold because they haven’t played enough matches is not fair for other Gold players.

I’M DIAMOND, WHY DO YOU MATCH ME WITH GOLD PLAYERS?

As there aren’t very many Diamond players, the matchmaking system can occasionally have trouble finding players of similar skill. There is a trade-off between how long you are willing to wait and how balanced the match is.

We hope that you have found this to be informative, and that we have answered most of your lingering questions regarding the recent changes. After reading, we encourage you to jump into the discussion on our Subreddit and Forums! We will be monitoring the activity regarding this topic and may update this document with more questions and answers in the future!

We have made some adjustments to the matchmaking and ranking systems in Operation Red Crow. We saw that this led to questions from the community, and we have worked with the various teams involved to provide you with some insight. This blog will cover both the matchmaking and rank changes that you have seen come into play following the release of Operation Red Crow.

WHAT IS SKILL?

Your skill represents your ability to win a game. Comparing two teams' skill gives you the probability that one team will win against the other. The higher the difference, the more likely a given team is going to win. When two teams with the same skill levels are matched up with each other, they both have an equal shot at winning. The algorithm used in Rainbow Six Siege assigns two values to each player: an estimation of their skill (μ) and the uncertainty of this estimation (σ). The players’ skills are distributed along a Bell curve, centered around 25 (High Silver – Low Gold).

WHAT IS UNCERTAINTY?

The estimation of your skill is probabilistic. In general, the more games you play, the more information we have about you, and the more confident we are about this estimation. This confidence is represented by the uncertainty value sigma (σ). The lower the uncertainty, the higher the confidence.

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN SKILL AND MMR?

In Season 4, your MMR (Matchmaking Rating) is proportional to your skill (MMR = 100*μ). In the past, we incorporated a progression system that would take your engagement into account when determining your rank. In other words, you needed to lower your uncertainty to achieve higher ranks. That led to a wide distribution of skill within the same rank. For example, a player whose skill we estimate to be Silver but played a lot of games was able to grind ranks as high as Platinum. This created confusion, as facing players of a given rank would lead to very different experiences. Furthermore, by matching players of similar ranks together, there was no guarantee that they would have similar skill levels. Compared to data from previous Seasons, the average disparity in skill level between opposing teams has been cut in half with the new system.
With Rainbow Six Siege being a competitive game, we decided that the MMR should only take your skill into account. The MMR is not a reward system, and any progression you make after a certain point should reflect your improvement in terms of skill.

HOW IS THE MMR UPDATED AFTER A GAME?

The MMR is updated solely on the outcome of your match. If this outcome is unexpected (for example, you lost against players with a lower skill than your team), the skill updates will be more substantial, and vice-versa. In addition to that, the more confident we are about your skill (i.e., if your σ is low), the smaller the updates will be.
Let’s take a simple example with only two players, Craig and Justin. The values in this example do not reflect the actual updates that would happen with our system but it should give you an understanding of the situation. Justin is a Gold player (μ ≈ 29), and has been playing at that level for quite some time. Justin’s rank has a low uncertainty value attached to it, so σ ≈ 3. Justin faces Craig (a Copper ranked player, but he has a lot of heart), and loses. Due to the low uncertainty value, it is likely that Justin just had a bad game, so his skill level would decrease, resulting in μ ≈ 28. This is due to the system taking into account the rank of the enemy you have lost to. If Justin lost to someone that was Gold, the adjustment would be closer to μ ≈ 28.5. Losing to a Diamond would have resulted in a change to μ ≈ 28.9.
That being said, Craig is still relatively new to the game, and our system is attempting to determine where he should be placed (μ ≈ 17 and σ ≈ 6). By Tachanka’s grace, Craig won the match, so we would increase his skill level to 20. His victory against Justin has helped us to determine that he may be a better player, so his uncertainly has dropped a small amount (σ ≈ 5.5). The large increase in skill level rating for is a result of Craig being a fairly unknown player, and our confidence in Justin’s placement.

ARE MATCHES MORE OR LESS BALANCED NOW?

We are seeing an increase in balanced matches following the release of the new system. We measure match balance through two methods. One way to gauge balance is to measure the average skill (μ) level of teams that are playing against each other. While the numerical threshold for different ranks has changed, the overall skill of the community has not. Because of this, comparisons with prior Seasons are still both valid and meaningful. As depicted, we are seeing a positive trend in this regard following the release of Operation Red Crow.



An alternate method for determining balance is by match results. Operation Red Crow is seeing an increase in the number of matches that end with a result of 4-2 and closer. The most notable result is the 2.3% reduction in the number of matches that end in a shutout. This is further evidence that, while the threshold to obtain a certain rank has been adjusted, players are being matched with others much closer to their own ability than in previous Seasons.



HOW DOES MY PERSONAL PERFORMANCE IMPACT THE NUMBER OF POINTS I GET?

It does not. If you get 15 kills per game but lose all of them, then your ability to win a game is very low, hence you should be ranked very low too. Conversely, a player that does not land kills, but still wins often, should be ranked quite high (maybe they make excellent callouts, which is an important factor in a team’s ability to win). The idea is that if you play well, and are an asset to your team, you will naturally win more matches in the long run. This positive influence on winning matches is what we measure.

WHY DO MY FRIENDS AND I GAIN/LOSE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF POINTS AFTER A GAME?

If you both have the same skill, the update will depend on how confident our system is regarding where you are placed. Let’s say that you are both Gold IV but your friend has played a lot more games than you (they have a low uncertainty), you will gain/lose more points than they will.

WHY DID THE THRESHOLD CHANGE?

Due to the removal of the progression aspect of the MMR, we wanted a scale that was easier to understand, and also easier to link with your skill. The new thresholds have nothing to do with the values of Season 3. Attempting to compare the thresholds from Season 3 to those of Season 4 is similar to comparing apples to oranges.

IS THERE A SET NUMBER OF DIAMOND PLAYERS?

No, Diamond players are players with a skill higher than a threshold. They represent the tail of the skill distribution, estimated on data we got from previous Seasons. Why does it feel much faster to achieve Diamond in Season 4? Since we removed the progression system, players do not need to grind to lower their uncertainty in an effort to reach Diamond.

WHY IS IT MUCH EASIER TO ACHIEVE DIAMOND IN SEASON 4?

It is not. It’s just faster for players who deserve it. 80% of current Diamond players already achieved that level of skill in the previous season. Currently, 0.5% of Ranked players in S4 are Diamond players. The 3700 MMR threshold DOES NOT REPRESENT the same skill as the 3700 threshold in Season 3.

WHY DO YOU RESET RANKS AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT ME?

The previous system biased some of our skill estimations. The hard reset (of μ and σ to their initial values) allows us to start fresh and provide you with a more accurate and representative estimation of your skill.
Moreover, the major shift in the META introduced with each new Season justifies a reset.

DOES MY SMURF ACCOUNT RANK UP FASTER THAN MY MAIN?

Not after a hard reset, but otherwise yes. This is due to the fact that after a while, the uncertainty on your main account is low enough for us to be pretty confident about your skill. However, your smurf account’s skill should move towards your main account’s skill, assuming you play in a similar fashion.
The new MMR system should move the smurf account to their actual rank more quickly, thus minimizing the potential negative impact of smurfs in general.

DOES CASUAL TAKES YOUR RANK INTO CONSIDERATION? YOUR CLEARANCE LEVEL?

No. The casual playlist has its own MMR, based on the same system. Your clearance level has no impact on your MMR in either Ranked or Casual.

WHY DOES A 40 MINUTE RANKED MATCH GIVE ME SO FEW MMR POINTS?

The MMR is not a reward system. If we do not have more information about your skill, you won’t move much.

WHERE IS THE PEAK OF THE DISTRIBUTION? BRONZE? SILVER?

The majority of the ranks fall in high Silver and low Gold. As seen in this graph:



IF I USUALLY PLAY WITH THE SAME TEAM, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY MMR AND THE MMR OF THE OTHER PLAYERS ON MY TEAM?

We don’t. If you play exclusively with that team, then we will have a fairly good estimation of the MMR of that team. If you start playing without them, then your MMR will change. It won’t represent your skill, it will represent a mixture of your ability to win by yourself and your ability to win with your team, and this mixture will represent the probability that you’ll play with your team: aggregated, it is the probability that you’ll win in general.

I ENJOYED THE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM GRINDING FOR DIAMOND. WHY DID YOU TAKE THAT AWAY?

As previously stated, having a rank that is a good representation of your actual skill leads to fairer matches. Keeping a ‘’Diamond’’ player in Gold because they haven’t played enough matches is not fair for other Gold players.

I’M DIAMOND, WHY DO YOU MATCH ME WITH GOLD PLAYERS?

As there aren’t very many Diamond players, the matchmaking system can occasionally have trouble finding players of similar skill. There is a trade-off between how long you are willing to wait and how balanced the match is.

We hope that you have found this to be informative, and that we have answered most of your lingering questions regarding the recent changes. After reading, we encourage you to jump into the discussion on our Subreddit and Forums! We will be monitoring the activity regarding this topic and may update this document with more questions and answers in the future!

Throughout the past year of the Rainbow Six Pro League, four teams stand out among the rest to earn a spot in the Six Invitational. They have fought, competed, and claimed championships that have earned them this incredible opportunity.

On February 3-5th, 2017 in Montreal, these four teams will to compete against qualifier winners for Rainbow Six Siege’s biggest event ever. The 3 day event will match 6 PC and Xbox One teams against each other for a grand prize of $200,000!

The EU, NA, and LATAM qualifiers are starting on December 3rd, but we are also inviting four teams who have been competing at a high level since the start of the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League. We selected these teams based on performance and professionalism. These teams represent the best of the best in the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League.

Get prepared for the Six Invitational by learning more about the selected teams.

PC NA: CONTINUUM



The team & all its player have been part of the Rainbow Six Pro League since its start. Four of them played together in Season One under the “Mythics eSports” tag. They are the youngest squad in average, but also the best “hope” for North America. They are the only one who managed to beat both of the best teams in Europe to claim the title of Season 3 Pro League Champions.

In Season 2, two of their players, Canadian & Yung, were also part of the best team in North America “Orbit” alongside Kix, Kanine & Snake.
In Season 3, they went undefeated only surpassed by Most Wanted in the regular season, but did show off on the big stage, and nvK even claimed the unofficial MVP of the whole Season 3 final in Katowice, Poland.

Led by Canadian, the team has shown the usual skills of the NA scene with an incredible talent for strategy & counter-strat.

PC EU: GIFU



GiFu (pronounced: “SEE-SOO”) has not always been the best team, but they have been the best in one key category: consistency. Their roster has almost been the same for the past three seasons with the only exception being Sha77e who comes from TCM/Playing Ducks.

In three seasons, GiFu has grinded for their spot for the Seasonal finals all three times. At the moment, Willkey, Protax, Vapo, Bounssi & Kettiomestari are the only players (with Kanine & Snake) who can claim that achievement! They were 2nd in S1, 3-4th in S2 & S3, and they are the most consistent & efficient European team to date, showing off not only their skills but also their ability to stay strong for as long as the Pro League exists.

XBOX ONE NA: INSTINCT



NA Xbox One is the trickiest choice. Instinct members (formally known as eXcellence) have been in the Pro League since its launch in March 2016. Some were part of Instinct GG, while LaxinG was part of - at the time – the 1st eXcellence line-up with whom he won the first title of Pro League World Champion back in Season 1.

In Season 2, when the original eXcellence line-up left, SkyS & his teammates rebuilt the new eXcellence from the ashes of his successful past. They ended up in the 4th spot, their fate decided on the last match of the last play day. But the Season 3 was their moment. Rejoined by LaxinG who decided to “come back home” in the eXcellence Squad, they have been dominant all of Season 3 only to be defeated in the semi-finals by the current World Champions: Vitality. They are currently the best Xbox One squad of all North America.

XBOX EU: TEAM VITALITY



1st European team in Season One, 3rd in Season 2 and 2nd in Season Three; they finally managed to reach their ultimate goal: becoming World Champions. A success story that was only made possible thanks to their victory against the best team in NA, eXcellence, and their ultimate opponent, Supremacy in a Worlds Finals that kind of looked like a French derby.

Dedicated since D1 (and even since Vegas for BiOs & Furious), the squad has only made one single change in their line-up since the launch of the Pro League with the addition of Lion (to replace Squall) in Season 3. The fresh blood of Lion, with a very aggressive style & his great idea in terms of strategy helped Vitality to grow pass their former slow & methodical style to move to a more various & unbreakable way of playing. This same style that helped them bring Season 3 Xbox One title home to France.

We cannot wait to see these teams in action at the Six Invitational against the winners from our Qualifiers. There is still time to qualify for the Six Invitational, and you can sign-up here

For more information on the Six Invitational, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and you can join the discussion on the official Subreddit and Forums

Throughout the past year of the Rainbow Six Pro League, four teams stand out among the rest to earn a spot in the Six Invitational. They have fought, competed, and claimed championships that have earned them this incredible opportunity.

On February 3-5th, 2017 in Montreal, these four teams will to compete against qualifier winners for Rainbow Six Siege’s biggest event ever. The 3 day event will match 6 PC and Xbox One teams against each other for a grand prize of $200,000!

The EU, NA, and LATAM qualifiers are starting on December 3rd, but we are also inviting four teams who have been competing at a high level since the start of the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League. We selected these teams based on performance and professionalism. These teams represent the best of the best in the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League.

Get prepared for the Six Invitational by learning more about the selected teams.

PC NA: CONTINUUM



The team & all its player have been part of the Rainbow Six Pro League since its start. Four of them played together in Season One under the “Mythics eSports” tag. They are the youngest squad in average, but also the best “hope” for North America. They are the only one who managed to beat both of the best teams in Europe to claim the title of Season 3 Pro League Champions.

In Season 2, two of their players, Canadian & Yung, were also part of the best team in North America “Orbit” alongside Kix, Kanine & Snake.
In Season 3, they went undefeated only surpassed by Most Wanted in the regular season, but did show off on the big stage, and nvK even claimed the unofficial MVP of the whole Season 3 final in Katowice, Poland.

Led by Canadian, the team has shown the usual skills of the NA scene with an incredible talent for strategy & counter-strat.

PC EU: GIFU



GiFu (pronounced: “SEE-SOO”) has not always been the best team, but they have been the best in one key category: consistency. Their roster has almost been the same for the past three seasons with the only exception being Sha77e who comes from TCM/Playing Ducks.

In three seasons, GiFu has grinded for their spot for the Seasonal finals all three times. At the moment, Willkey, Protax, Vapo, Bounssi & Kettiomestari are the only players (with Kanine & Snake) who can claim that achievement! They were 2nd in S1, 3-4th in S2 & S3, and they are the most consistent & efficient European team to date, showing off not only their skills but also their ability to stay strong for as long as the Pro League exists.

XBOX ONE NA: INSTINCT



NA Xbox One is the trickiest choice. Instinct members (formally known as eXcellence) have been in the Pro League since its launch in March 2016. Some were part of Instinct GG, while LaxinG was part of - at the time – the 1st eXcellence line-up with whom he won the first title of Pro League World Champion back in Season 1.

In Season 2, when the original eXcellence line-up left, SkyS & his teammates rebuilt the new eXcellence from the ashes of his successful past. They ended up in the 4th spot, their fate decided on the last match of the last play day. But the Season 3 was their moment. Rejoined by LaxinG who decided to “come back home” in the eXcellence Squad, they have been dominant all of Season 3 only to be defeated in the semi-finals by the current World Champions: Vitality. They are currently the best Xbox One squad of all North America.

XBOX EU: TEAM VITALITY



1st European team in Season One, 3rd in Season 2 and 2nd in Season Three; they finally managed to reach their ultimate goal: becoming World Champions. A success story that was only made possible thanks to their victory against the best team in NA, eXcellence, and their ultimate opponent, Supremacy in a Worlds Finals that kind of looked like a French derby.

Dedicated since D1 (and even since Vegas for BiOs & Furious), the squad has only made one single change in their line-up since the launch of the Pro League with the addition of Lion (to replace Squall) in Season 3. The fresh blood of Lion, with a very aggressive style & his great idea in terms of strategy helped Vitality to grow pass their former slow & methodical style to move to a more various & unbreakable way of playing. This same style that helped them bring Season 3 Xbox One title home to France.

We cannot wait to see these teams in action at the Six Invitational against the winners from our Qualifiers. There is still time to qualify for the Six Invitational, and you can sign-up here

For more information on the Six Invitational, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and you can join the discussion on the official Subreddit and Forums

Rainbow Six Siege has had an incredible year of content, and we appreciate every single one of you who have championed the game since launch and before. The community is the reason why this game is stronger than ever entering Year 2, and we are excited to share details about what is to come in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Year 2, and the Year 2 Pass.

In Year 2, Team Rainbow will be deployed to Spain, Hong Kong, Poland, and South Korea. We’ll be introducing four new maps in these countries, with 8 new Operators from brand new CTU’s. As you can see in the road map below, Year 2 follows a similar format having four seasons with one free map and two Operators releasing each season.



The Year 1 Season Pass will be ending soon and we will be ushering in the new Year 2 Pass on November 29th, with the first 2 operators slated to launch in February 2017. The pass grants you several instant benefits beginning November 29th, including a free Obsidian Weapon Skin if you purchase the Year 2 Pass before February 7th, 2017. Additionally, if you owned the Year 1 Season Pass, you will receive a bonus 600 R6 Credits on top of the 600 that comes with the Year 2 Pass.



Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Year 2 Pass grants access to a one-year** VIP premium membership which includes:

YEAR 2 OPERATORS AND DLC

• 8 new Year 2 operators across 4 Seasons
  
• 8 exclusive headgears
  
• 8 unique uniforms
  
• R6 Carbon charm
  
• 600 R6 Credits

YEAR 2 VIP PERKS

• 7-day early access and instant unlock of each season's 2 new Operators, for a total of 8 Operators throughout Year 2.
  
• 10% discount for the in-game shop
  
• 5% Renown boost to unlock in-game content faster
  
• 2 extra daily challenges

**VIP Membership until Feb 7, 2018

You can pick-up the Year 2 Pass here, starting on 11/29/2016.

If you missed out on the original Season Pass, you can now unlock all 8 of the original Year 1 Operators with the new Legacy Operator Bundle. This bundle instantly unlocks Buck, Frost, Blackbeard, Valkyrie, Capitao, Caveira, Echo, and Hibana. Find the Legacy Operator Bundle available now at the in-game shop for 2400 R6 Credits.

For players who are just getting into the action, Rainbow Six Siege will have two new options:

• Year 2 Gold Edition comes with the full game and the Year 2 pass
  
• Complete Edition comes with the full game, the Year 2 pass, and the Legacy Operator Bundle

More information about Year 2 will be announced at the Six Invitational on February 3-5, 2017. The Six Invitational is the biggest event Rainbow Six Siege will have ever hosted, and will have exclusive Dev interviews, major reveals of Year 2, and much more!



We can’t wait to see you in Year 2, and to continue to grow this amazing community for Rainbow Six Siege. For the latest information, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and you can join the discussion on the official Reddit and Forums.

Rainbow Six Siege has had an incredible year of content, and we appreciate every single one of you who have championed the game since launch and before. The community is the reason why this game is stronger than ever entering Year 2, and we are excited to share details about what is to come in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Year 2, and the Year 2 Pass.

In Year 2, Team Rainbow will be deployed to Spain, Hong Kong, Poland, and South Korea. We’ll be introducing four new maps in these countries, with 8 new Operators from brand new CTU’s. As you can see in the road map below, Year 2 follows a similar format having four seasons with one free map and two Operators releasing each season.



The Year 1 Season Pass will be ending soon and we will be ushering in the new Year 2 Pass on November 29th, with the first 2 operators slated to launch in February 2017. The pass grants you several instant benefits beginning November 29th, including a free Obsidian Weapon Skin if you purchase the Year 2 Pass before February 7th, 2017. Additionally, if you owned the Year 1 Season Pass, you will receive a bonus 600 R6 Credits on top of the 600 that comes with the Year 2 Pass.



Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Year 2 Pass grants access to a one-year** VIP premium membership which includes:

YEAR 2 OPERATORS AND DLC

• 8 new Year 2 operators across 4 Seasons
  
• 8 exclusive headgears
  
• 8 unique uniforms
  
• R6 Carbon charm
  
• 600 R6 Credits

YEAR 2 VIP PERKS

• 7-day early access and instant unlock of each season's 2 new Operators, for a total of 8 Operators throughout Year 2.
  
• 10% discount for the in-game shop
  
• 5% Renown boost to unlock in-game content faster
  
• 2 extra daily challenges

**VIP Membership until Feb 7, 2018

You can pick-up the Year 2 Pass here, starting on 11/29/2016.

If you missed out on the original Season Pass, you can now unlock all 8 of the original Year 1 Operators with the new Legacy Operator Bundle. This bundle instantly unlocks Buck, Frost, Blackbeard, Valkyrie, Capitao, Caveira, Echo, and Hibana. Find the Legacy Operator Bundle available now at the in-game shop for 2400 R6 Credits.

For players who are just getting into the action, Rainbow Six Siege will have two new options:

• Year 2 Gold Edition comes with the full game and the Year 2 pass
  
• Complete Edition comes with the full game, the Year 2 pass, and the Legacy Operator Bundle

More information about Year 2 will be announced at the Six Invitational on February 3-5, 2017. The Six Invitational is the biggest event Rainbow Six Siege will have ever hosted, and will have exclusive Dev interviews, major reveals of Year 2, and much more!



We can’t wait to see you in Year 2, and to continue to grow this amazing community for Rainbow Six Siege. For the latest information, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and you can join the discussion on the official Reddit and Forums.

The two S.A.T. Operators Hibana and Echo of Red Crow Operation are now available! Discover the two new S.A.T. Operators, which you can unlock for 25,000 Renown or 600 R6 Credits each.


Born and raised in Nagoya, Japan, Imagawa is an expert at gaining entry in high risk areas. A skilled martial artist, she joined the National Police Academy when she was 18 years old. Nicknamed Hibana due to her explosive leadership on the field, she acquired a rare tactical versatility while training with the FBI SWAT and GIGN. A team player and expert at onrush tactics, she was recruited by the Aichi Prefectural Police Department Special Unit.

Partaking in a Special Operation conference in Jordan, Imagawa met Operator Jordan Trace, a pioneer in Brimstone BC-3 Exothermic experiments. She collaborated with him to develop the “X-KAIROS,” a 40 mm caliber launcher. The X-KAIROS fires explosive pellets that can be detonated simultaneously from a distance. Deliver innovative assaults by creating lines of sights, or new pathways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-KwF6UGXjI


Known as a natural prodigy in robotics, Masaru Enatsu grew up in Suginami City, Tokyo, the birthplace of several animation studios and technology companies. Enticed to test his devices on the field, he joined the National Police Academy. Specialized in Recon operations, he was recruited by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Special Unit before transferring to the Aichi Unit.

Wanting to circumvent ranged weapon limitations, Echo crafted Yokai, an unmanned hovering vehicle. Equipped with an acoustic hailing device, this signature drone can fire ultrasonic bursts that disorient all targets in a given perimeter. Yokai also transmits a video feed to Echo, who keeps his immediate perimeter secure. Embrace the power of technology and embody a turret Defender who can both hold up the siege and support roamers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVnpI-qW6zE

You will find additional information about the Red Crow Operation in our patch notes.