In this latest edition of Designer’s Notes, we'll go into more detail about the upcoming balancing changes that’ll come with the 4.3 patch and give you an insight into the reasons behind these changes.




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 map. We usually compute it per map and per bomb site for more precision. However, we have faced some data gathering issues related to bomb site statistics. A definitive fix is in progress, in the mean time keep in mind that these graphs are computed only through Win Delta per map. There could be minor variations for Operators being particularly impacted by the bomb site selection.

• ADS time increased for all weapons classes.
  
• Assault rifles: from 0.30s to 0.40s
  
• DMRs: from 0.30s up to 0.40s (OTs-03 Incl.)
  
• SMGs: from 0.20s up to 0.30s
  
• LMGs: from 0.40s up to 0.45s
  
• Pistol: 0.10s up to 0.20s
  
• SMG in secondary slots: 0.10s up to 0.35s*
  
• Shotguns: 0.20s up to 0.25s

In Ember Rise there was an overhaul of the animations which caused ADS time to decrease across the board for all weapons. This change will make ADS speeds similar to what they were pre-Ember Rise, as well as align ADS times for all weapons in each of their respective classes.

*Following your feedback received after the Test Server phase, we have decided to tweak the secondary SMGs ADS time from 0.35s to 0.275s. As usual we will keep on monitoring Operator and weapon performance following these changes and adapt if we deem it necessary.

• ADS penalization will only apply when Blackbeard’s Gun Shield is equipped. Weapons without the Gun Shield will maintain the same timings as any other Assault Rifle, weapons with the Gun Shield will have the same timings as they have now in Shifting Tides, and the Angled Grip will affect the SCAR with and without the Gun Shield equipped.

We want Blackbeard players to make a conscious decision when equipping the shield. The idea is to either have extra reactivity in firefights when switching to ADS or to have extra protection from the gun shield.

• Case 1 (Angle grip equipped): ADS time will be 60% of the base time.
  
• Case 2 (Shield equipped): ADS time will be 200% of the base time.
  
• Case 3 (Angle grip + Shield equipped): ADS time will a combination of the 2 previous buffs, 160% of the base time.

• The Yokai Drone can now be hacked by Dokkaebi’s phone hacking ability.
  
• Echo will now drop a cell phone, if Dokkaebi is present during the round.
  
• The Yokai is now equipped with drone lights that show only when uncloaked. These lights will provide the same visual feedback as any other drone.

Echo is currently an exception, as he is unaffected by Dokkaebi’s ability. This a way for us to offer more counters to this very powerful and frustrating defender, more particularly in situations when attackers are planting the defuser. He is the second most banned defender and these changes are implemented with that in mind. It is also a way to rationalize how Operators interact between each other. More than balancing this is also an opportunity to make the game easier to understand to newcomers.

• Reduced recoil on Scorpion Evo3 for the first 16 shots, any proceeding shots will have recoil similar to what it is currently on live.

Ela is a very popular Operator who suffers from a previous SMG recoil increase. Even if she remains decent in terms of Presence and Win Delta, we would like to bring her closer to her prime by improving the handling of the Scorpion EVO 3.

• Increased Finka’s Spear .308 damage to 42 (up from 38)

We’ve seen that Finka’s spear underperforms all other Assault Rifles on attack, and we are looking to make it a more viable option.

• Reduced Jäger’s 416-C damage to 38 (down from 43)

We’re still tinkering with Jäger, but with Wamai now in the game we feel it’s an appropriate time to make some moves and try to reduce the power of his 416-C which outperforms all other guns on defence. This is a first step towards trying to bring the most popular defender a bit closer to his peers.

• ACOG removed from Maestro’s ALDA

We think the ALDA is powerful even without the ACOG and want to see if it’s removal will highlight its other great qualities.

• Increased Nøkk’s and Smoke’s FMG9 damage to 34 (up from 30)

We want to give her a bit more confidence to make full use of her identity to sneak around and take 1v1 situations and gunfights. This change should also impact Smoke to a lesser degree.

• Candela’s now have a new outline that is visible only to Ying.
  
• Improved distribution of Cluster Flashes
  
• Number of pellets per Candela increased to 7 (up from 6) - (1 at floor level, 3 at around hip level and 3 at head level).
  
• Pellets detonation time reduced to 0.3s (from 1s on throw and 2.5s on deploy).
  
• Pellets that bounce on environmental props maintain their velocity instead of falling and detonating on the floor.
  
• Candela explosion minor VFX improvements.

Ying’s Candelas let ample room for creative gameplay and we are confident about the opportunities offered by the gadget. We have noticed that Candelas needed more consistency and reliability for Ying to reach her full potential. We aim at providing more visual feedback, to make her ability easier to understand and we are also tweaking the cluster flashes to ensure the gadget effectiveness.


Lesion is currently over-picked and performs really well as you can see in the Defender’s graphic. He can often be quite frustrating to play against, which is why he is also target by Operator bans. He takes gun fights, deals damage and slows down the enemy. On top of that, his Gu Mines are also used for information gathering. We are looking into fine tuning him to reduce both his effectiveness and frustration.

Try out the latest Rainbow Six updates on the Test Server and earn and exclusive charm through the BugHunter program.

For 5 weekends, take part in the action as you play the Road to Six Invitational 2020 event.

On a brand-new map furnished with bulletproof glass walls creating new tactical situations, you’ll have access to all Operators regardless of who you unlocked. Furthermore, six of them have been fitted with specific outfits for this momentous event, so if you see Blitz, Caveira, Hibana, Mozzie, Sledge or Thermite in a match, you’ll see them decked out in their exclusive themed sportswear.


A new, full-sized Rainbow Six Siege Battle Pass filled with a variety of rewards is coming. For 5 weeks, the Road to S.I. 2020 Battle Pass will be available with a Free and a Premium track, and 30% of revenue will go to the Six Invitational prize pool.

As the Operators proudly represent their nations, you’ll be able to unlock the outfits created for them to wear as they compete. With 35 tiers and two tracks, this Battle Pass boasts a total of 50 rewards. As you progress, you will obtain the Competitors’ exclusive gear and more.

Updated: 15 January 2020

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.



Description: In certain instances, the Battle Pass may take longer than usual to visually synchronize, or could potentially get stuck. You may not be able to access the Battle Pass progression page in these cases. Restarting the game will fix this issue. Please note: Your progress and items will continue to be tracked and granted. This is only a visual issue.

Status: (Target:TBD) We will be working internally to firstly improve on the UI's feedback to players on the status of their Battle Pass status. A more complete fix will take longer and we'll update this page when we have a better estimate.

Description: We’re aware of visual bug that you may run into with the Battle Pass Progression page. The Premium track tiles may have a green striped background, and restarting will resolve the issue. Again, these are visual glitches only and will not affect progression or gameplay.

Description: During Y4S2, we set out a large batch of fixes to make improvements on our sound propagation system. However, some issues remained due to discrepancies between sound travelling through obstacle (e.g. walls, barricades, windows, reinforcements) versus sound passing through next to these obstacles via another route.

Status: (Target:Y5S1) We are working on a “perfect-fit” solution to tackle the remaining propagation inconsistencies.

Description: Players who disconnect from Ranked games run into difficulties re-joining the match.

Status: (Target: During Y5S1) We have been seeing reports for this topic come in shortly after our DDoS reinforcements. We will be fine-tuning our systems to maintain security, while also remedying this.



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 production phase towards our chosen solution. We’re excited to share more info on this with you in the near future.

Description: Our current in-game benchmark test is outdated.

Status: We are working toward a new benchmark test that better conveys how Siege performs on different setups.

Description: There are inconsistencies in how gadgets interact/destroy props on maps.

Status: (Target: Y5S1) Similar to how we implemented consistency on how props break on projectile trajectory in Y4S4, we are working on a system for deployable gadgets’ interaction with these props.

Patch 4.2 contained the fix for the Clash exploit and she was re-enabled and available to play with the 4.2 patch, that went out to PC on Monday, January 13th.

• FIXED – Clash exploit

The Clash exploit is fixed with this patch and we will be re-enabling her on live for each platform as 4.2 goes out. Thank you for your patience and understanding over the holiday period!

• FIXED – Hostage can be shot and damaged through both reinforced and unbreakable walls when placed too close to either.
  
• FIXED – Some thin fragile map props are not properly destroyed when hit by projectiles and other minor prop destruction issues on maps
  
• FIXED – Operator hitboxes can clip through reinforced walls and be shot.

• FIXED – Goyo’s Volcán can be destroyed and detonates when a reinforcement destroys it from the other side of the wall.
  
• FIXED – Deploying a Mira Black Mirror next to a Volcán Shield placed too close to the wall can trigger the Volcán explosion from the other side of the wall. Now Goyo’s Volcán will just be destroyed without exploding and spreading fire, destruction, and RFF.
  
• FIXED – Volcán’s explosive canister and shell will sometimes remain floating after an Ash breaching round or Mira mirror is deployed close to it.
  
• FIXED – Jackal can scan footprints from the disruption radius of a Mute Jammer if he begins scanning while outside the jammer area.
  
• FIXED – Wamai’s Mag-Net will still draw and catch projectiles even after the destruction of the surface it is on and will detonate them in mid-air even as it is falling.
  
• FIXED – Players can sometimes escape Frost traps if Finka’s Adrenaline Surge is used under certain conditions.
  
• FIXED – Mira can deploy her Black Mirror through a reinforced wall under certain conditions.
  
• FIXED – Clash CCE Shield SFX is sometimes inaudible.
  
• FIXED – Prompt to deploy Kapkan’s EDD sometimes displays when running and stopping near doorways.
  
• FIXED – Once Lion's scan is finished, Lion's debuff icon sometimes re-appears for a few frames for tagged players.
  
• FIXED – Kali’s left-hand pops in first person POV when unequipping her LV lance.
  
• FIXED – Caveira's hand clips through her phone when resetting it during a Dokkaebi call.

• FIXED – Various dynamic clipping and general clipping issues across maps.
  
• FIXED – Various LOD issues on all maps.
  
• FIXED – Players can vault onto the shelves and other un-vaultable assets in Day Care on Theme Park.
  
• FIXED – Valkyrie's Black Eyes can be deployed inside a helmet on Favela.
  
• FIXED – Gap in wall present in 2F Offices of Tower.
  
• FIXED – A small gap between two walls in EXT Roof of Theme Park.
  
• FIXED – Deployable gadgets float after the monitor they're placed on is destroyed in Border.
  
• FIXED – Sticky gadgets remain floating after destroying a vase in 3F Cocktail Lounge in Kafe.
  
• FIXED – Light damage projectiles don't destroy the ashtray in 1F Security Room of Coastline.

• FIXED – Various minor cosmetic modeling and shop fixes.
  
• FIXED – Various minor menu and HUD visual issues.
  
• FIXED – Minor animation clipping issues.
  
• FIXED – Ela Elite’s model outline can be seen behind the paint during the Elite Victory Animation at the end of a match.
  
• FIXED – Operators’ guns will sometimes briefly display on screen when picking up Bulletproof Cams, Maestro’s Evil Eye, or Jager’s ADS.
  
• FIXED – Snapping arm animation when close to an object while entering ADS.
  
• FIXED – Spectators can see Nomad’s ammunition count oscillating between the normal AK-74 ammo and the launchers ammo, when Nomad switches the gadget on and off.

Updated: 13 December 2019

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.



Description: During Y4S2, we set out a large batch of fixes to make improvements on our sound propagation system. However, some issues remained due to discrepancies between sound travelling through obstacle (e.g. walls, barricades, windows, reinforcements) versus sound passing through next to these obstacles via another route.

Status: [Target:Y5S1] We are working on a “perfect-fit” solution to tackle the remaining propagation inconsistencies.

Description: Players who disconnect from Ranked games run into difficulties re-joining the match.

Status: [Target: During Y5S1] We have been seeing reports for this topic come in shortly after our DDoS reinforcements. We will be fine-tuning our systems to maintain security, while also remedying this.



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 production phase towards our chosen solution. We’re excited to share more info on this with you in the near future.

Description: Our current in-game benchmark test is outdated.

Status: We are working toward a new benchmark test that better conveys how Siege performs on different setups.

Description: There are inconsistencies in how gadgets interact/destroy props on maps.

Status: [Target: Y5S1] Similar to how we implemented consistency on how props break on projectile trajectory in Y4S4, we are working on a system for deployable gadgets’ interaction with these props.



Description: We have seen a high ban rate for Blitz, Echo, and Caveira in Ranked.

Status: We recently made some changes to Jackal—an Operator whose ban-rate was fairly high. We are still monitoring feedback around him from the community. For the other Operators who are most affected by Pick/Ban, we are discussing how we want to approach topic of balancing around them.

“Turn on your phones. Disengage your brains. Live in the moment. Consume.”


Reporter: What does identity mean to you?

Bosak: All identity is performative. The complication lies in the fact that, as much as you construct your image by what you say, how you dress, and which brands you buy, you’re never truly in control. You’re always subject to a status quo, a set of expectations about how someone who looks like you *must* act.

Reporter: Surely those expectations don’t carry over when we’re talking about art.

Bosak: Art transcends society only when nothing is known about the artist. I don’t want to transcend society. I want to record it.

Reporter: I see. So what do you say to people who claim your work is shallow and narcissistic?

Bosak: I say that if you can’t see yourself in someone else’s reflection you’re not trying hard enough.

Reporter: But, by doing so, aren’t you simply behaving in the way that society expects?

Bosak: (laughs) Aren’t you?


“We define ourselves by symbols, but those symbols can be perverted. Reused. Reworked, reframed, remade. In a word, stolen. Who are you then?”

In this Season, the Quick Match (previously “Casual”) Playlist will again be receiving updates to its map rotation throughout the Season. There will be 14 maps available in Quick Match at any one time. Below you will find the latest Quick Match map pool.




Our goal is to give players the ability to familiarize themselves with a more curated selection of maps. We are also aiming to make the playlist more dynamic and enjoyable.
Remember to follow us and share your feedback on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and on our forums.

“I get it. Everyone’s just doing their best to survive. You shoot at me, though? Then it gets personal.”

Transcript dated 11/11. Edited for clarity.
Vincente: I’ve met people like you before. I got sent to a shrink after I lost my eye. You know what he wanted me to do? Visualization exercises. He wanted me to pretend that I still had both my eyes, to imagine the life I had before and “project it into the future.” You know what I said to him? “Cara, imagining I’ve still got both eyes isn’t going to get me back on the field. Can you help me or not?” He sent me to an occupational therapist and I never saw him again. So don’t ask me about how I’ve “adapted” or “grown”, or dig into my past to uncover the “real” impact of my trauma. I’m sick to death of talking about the first and only thing people notice about me.

Harry: Then let’s talk about something else.

Transcript ends.


“Kids always ask me how I got to be so strong. I tell them it comes from having something worth fighting for. When they grow up, they’ll understand.”

Find all the latest balancing changes coming with Operation Shifting Tides. Our Dev Team is about to give an insider perspective at what led us to tweak certain abilities, weapons and gadgets.


M-12 SMG

• Increased M-12 SMG damage from 36 to 40

The M-12 is currently one of the lowest damages and slowest firing SMGs in the game. With most players favouring the Luison, there is currently very little reason to select the M-12. Our Devs are looking to give the M-12 a fairer chance during duels.


FO-12 SHOTGUN

• Decreased damage dealt beyond 10 meters
  
• Spread increase and accuracy reduction

Ela’s FO-12 is very strong and frustrating, mostly for console players, but on PC as well. She is targeted by Operator bans by console players and when she is not, her pick rate is very high. This weapon should be more in line with other semi-automatic shotguns. We also want to reduce her ban rate and how frustrating Ela can be.


SASG-12

• Spread increase and accuracy reduction

The SASG-12 shares many similarities with the FO-12. A spread increase when shooting rapidly as well as an increased recoil will make it a bit less easy to control.


BOSG 12.2

• #BOSGACOG is here

Adding the ACOG to 707th SMB Operator shotgun was mostly motivated by the low performance of the weapon. Even if part of the community was also looking forward to the addition of the ACOG, it remained a pure balancing decision. This new sight should not affect the overall performance of this weapon.

As usual, we will monitor its performance for Dokkaebi and Vigil and adjust whatever is necessary.



GLAZ

• Increased Glaz’s scope highlight base intensity

We are giving our Russian sniper a bit more love to help him spot enemies even when the scope is not charged, thus making his scope useful in more situations.

KAID

• Increased Kaid’s Electroclaw radius from 0.75m to 1.3m
  
• Replaced Impact Grenades with Barbed Wire

Kaid’s gadget leaves ample room for creativity. The feedback we gathered indicated that Electroclaws added variety to many situations but needed an extra edge.

A wider radius instead of a third Electroclaw is more comfortable for attackers to handle, as it won’t require any extra gadgets to counter. The activation speed still allows for tricking and the return of his barbed wires should lead to more creative setups.

Kaid’s loadout has gone through several adjustments. This more cautious and step by step approach gives enough time to our community to explore all its potential.


WARDEN

• Replaced Barbed Wire with C4

We want to increase his potential as a denial Defender for defuser plays. The C4 should give him more opportunity to defend a bomb site without exposing himself.

In addition, we are still considering other options to make sure Warden is relevant, we will tell you more when ready.


JACKAL

Jackal’s rework will be included in Operation Shifting Tides. As the most banned attacker, Jackal is a high source of frustration for many players and one of our top balancing priorities.



If you would like to know more about this rework, you can check our previous Designer’s Notes.



The new bullet penetration system will impact every bullet you shoot. Our Dev Team is aiming at reducing confusion. A side effect of this change should increase the lethality of various classes of weapons in certain situations. If you’d like to know more, please refer to this blog.


Try out the latest Rainbow Six updates on the Test Server and earn and exclusive charm through the BugHunter program.

Follow us and share your feedback on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and on our forums.

There’s a situation going on at the Bank. A hostage was taken, and it’s up to you to ensure their safety. The heist is ongoing, and the tension is coming to a head.

For Rainbow Six: Siege’s first collaboration with Netflix, we are bringing you a short event themed after their Spanish-language series, La Casa De Papel.

From November 20th to 25th, experience your own heist!



The Casa De Papel event is a classic Hostage match, where Attackers and Defenders must fight over a Hostage dressed in the series’ iconic mask and red jumpsuit. Hibana and Vigil are also equipped with the same look, should you pick them to play with.

A full set of four items for both Hibana and Vigil will become available for purchase in the shop during the event and will be there for approximately a year.

Hibana’s Heist Bundle contains the Red Jumpsuit uniform, Emboldened headgear, Tokyo charm and Regal Mint weapon skin for the TYPE-89.

Vigil’s Accomplice Bundle includes the Red Jumpsuit uniform, Nameless headgear, The Surrealist charm and Fresh Paper weapon skin for the K1A.