Y8S3.1 brings the latest update from the Player Protection team, the Commendation System. The Commendation System gives teammates a new avenue to share their thanks and appreciation with one another, while showing how they've added to the experience. In Siege your team matters, and any team member can be key to your victory and enjoyment. With this update, you can show players your gratitude and allow them to shine.


Players will be able to give Commendations at the end of a Quick Match, Standard, or Ranked game, via the Commendation screen. Each session, players can commend up to two teammates by selecting one of three categories.

As well as showing your appreciation to teammates, you can vote to commend the opposing team. In order for the vote to be successful, a majority "YES" vote will be required.

RESTRICTIONS:

• Players who abandon the match won't be eligible for Commendations.
  
• A player cannot give both of their Commendations to the same person.
  
• To prevent abuse of the system, a player cannot award more than one Commendation to the same player within a 7 day period.

When it comes to giving out your Commendations to your teammates, you'll have 3 options, and choosing the right one will help players know how their efforts have added to your experience.

• Valor: A great teammate who stays cool and is fun to play with.
  
• Dedication: A reliable teammate who stays engaged, fills in roles, and actively relays intel.
  
• Guidance: A teammate who takes on a leadership role, helping the others by sharing knowledge and developing strategy.

Receiving Commendations can result in rewards being given at certain points in a season, as well as a temporary passive bonus. Note that right now, it will not affect your Reputation Standing.

If a player receives Commendations consistently, a Streak bonus will be activated, giving a +1% drop chance on their Alpha Packs. The Streak status will be reflected in the in the Reputation Center, in the main menu squad panel, and in matches for other players to see. Of course, if a player wishes to protect their privacy, this icon can be disabled as part of Privacy Mode.

RESTRICTIONS

• Players who have a sanction or reputation penalty will have their Streak stopped and will be unable to attain a new Streak.

As well as an increased Alpha Pack drop rate, if you meet the right requirements, you could qualify for more rewards.

• At mid-season, any player who has received a Commendation in the current season, will receive an Alpha Pack of Epic rarity.
  
• At the end of a season, players in the top 25% of Commendations for that season, will receive an Alpha Pack of Legendary rarity.

RESTRICTIONS

The following players will not be eligible for mid-season or end of season rewards:

• Players who are under sanction of any sort.

The Player Protection team continues their work on both the Commendation System and Reputation System, helping to support and protect players' journeys in Siege. With this update, our aim has been to increase the opportunities for positive interactions in-game, with the ultimate goal of giving players a more positive overall experience. We look forward to players using the system, earning Streaks, and receiving their Alpha Packs!

See the upcoming changes to Rainbow Six Siege with the release of Y8S3.1.


Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 5.82 GB
  
• Steam: 16.9 GB
  
• Xbox One: 3.09 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 3.27 GB
  
• PS4: 3.99 GB
  
• PS5: 3.26 GB

FIXED - Ram's BU-GI Auto Breacher doesn't completely destroy first floor walls of 1F Strip Club on the Club House map.

FIXED - Ram's BU-GI Auto Breacher doesn't destroy Thunderbird's Kona Station if it's placed on a reinforced surface.

FIXED - Operators get stuck inside of a barrel when exiting rappel on the Fortress map.

FIXED - Defuser can't be retrieved if dropped when entering or exiting rappel stance at EXT North Rappel on the Tower map.

FIXED - Ram's BU-GI Auto Breacher can't go through the wall at 2F Infirmary on the Yacht map.

FIXED - Attacker drones can reach a spot with a useful line of sight and can't be destroyed on Nighthaven map.

FIXED - Third spawn location description is missing for Attackers on the Bank map.

FIXED - Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine doesn't open in the end of round replay when activated.

FIXED - Some gadgets are missing collision and can be deployed inside Ram's BU-GI Auto Breacher.

FIXED - Staircase connecting 1F Central Hallway to 2F Central stairs is labeled as B Central Stairs on the Clubhouse map.

FIXED - Indestructible windows can be barricaded during the Defense tutorial.

FIXED - Wall studs are visible in B1 Red Stairs of the Kanal map.

FIXED - Barricades float when placed in the doorway at 2F Dorm Main Hall on the Oregon map.

FIXED - Can't properly destroy the wall between 1F Bar and 1F Lounge on the Tower map.

FIXED - Operators can get out of bounds by using a space between a ladder and railing at EXT South Roof on the Tower map.

FIXED - Portion of the wall can't be destroyed at 2F Master Bedroom of the Chalet map.

FIXED - Missing SFX when destroying the canister on Mira's Black Mirror.

FIXED - Missing VFX when Operator phones dropped for Dokkaebi are hacked by the Kludge Drone.

FIXED - Missing SFX when drones are destroyed while in support mode during the end of the round.

FIXED - Ram's BU-GI Auto Breacher laser is visible through walls with low quality settings.

FIXED - User doesn't receive a penalty when reported for voice abuse in multiple sessions.

FIXED - Warden's Smart Glasses thumbnail appears in low resolution in the Operators tab.

FIXED - Cursor doesn't appear in the Operator Guides while using free camera during Match Replay.

FIXED - Players aren't highlighted after swapping teams in a Custom Game lobby.

FIXED - Saved game mode settings for the Quick Match and Arcade playlists reset after restarting the game.

FIXED - Hot and Spicy attachment skin is missing from the exclusive set highlighted on the Intro section of the Battle Pass.

FIXED - Text for device name overlaps in Ram's Operator section.

FIXED - Interaction animation doesn't play when players spectate Fenrir.

FIXED - Missing reward image for when the free Alpha Pack reward popup appears.

FIXED - Compass appearance can't be changed while using the normal HUD preset.

FIXED - Dread Factor Ranked charms are displayed with Heavy Mettle rank information.

FIXED - Multiple LOD issues on various maps.

FIXED - Various Shop and Customization issues.

FIXED - Various Localization issues.

Operation Heavy Mettle amps up the anticipation with new Attacker Ram and her BU-GI Auto-Breacher gadget. With an automated tank, Ram can take on the competition by destroying walls, floors, and other elements to offer new vantage points. One tank can shake up players’ strategies by destroying their gadgets and any soft surfaces in its path and Ram has four of them!

Game modes receive several updates this season, including a Quick Match rework, a redesign of Unranked (now called Standard), and a brand-new Arcade game mode. Quick Match is faster than ever, with reduced round timers, objective locations automatically revealed, and bomb sites come set up with reinforcements to let Defenders focus on strategic defenses, a welcome fast-paced environment for both new and experienced players. For Attackers, a 10-second invulnerability at the start of Action Phase will prevent spawn peeking, giving them time to approach the building. The redesigned Standard playlist offers the core Siege experience without Operator or map ban phases and will offer another option for players besides the competitive Ranked mode. Also being introduced is Weapons Roulette, an all-new fast action game mode coming to Arcade playlist, which lets all players start with the same weapon that automatically swaps to a new one after a set amount of time.

The Heavy Mettle Premium Battle Pass will run from August 29 to November 27, 2023 and cost 1200 R6 credits. Play matches, earn tokens, and get 100 rewards you want when you want them! Unlock the new Operator, Ram, instantly, plus a ton of exclusive items including 18 Bravo packs, a Bravo token, 600 R6 credits back, a neon-themed 3D set for Bandit, a historical South Korean set for Vigil, the elegant Intricate Lacquerware drone skin, a vividly colored ramen-themed Signature skin! Once you complete the Battle Pass, you can earn a Bravo Pack ticket that will enable you to choose a unique reward from the Bravo Pack Collection. Need R6 credits for the Battle Pass? Pick up the best deal on credits with the 2670 Premier Pack that includes 2670 R6 credits, an exclusive Finka set, and renown booster for the same price as a regular 2670 R6 credit pack.

For more information, visit https://rainbow6.com/battlepass

You can find here the updates and fixes made over the course of the Y8S3 Season Test Server.


Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 6.11 GB
  
• Steam: 5.5 GB
  
• Xbox One: 5.85 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 6.76 GB
  
• PlayStation 4: 5.45 GB
  
• PlayStation 5: 5.85 GB

• Further tweaks on the ITA12L, Buck's Skeleton key, SG-CQB and the M870 to bring them in line with the rest of the rework.

FIXED – Adaptive Trigger effect for PS5 controllers is missing after changing Operators in Team Deathmatch or Free For All.
FIXED – Players can't finish the Attack tutorial if they eliminate a dummy before the "Eliminate Opponents" objective is active.
FIXED – Players can glitch through walls by exploiting an interaction with Exit Rappel and Breach Charges.
FIXED - Zero's Argus cameras hacked by Defenders retain a viewable camera feed when they lose their signal outdoors.
FIXED – Starting the Basics tutorial for the first time will show an ammo counter instead of the infinity symbol.
FIXED – Player's drone can pass through assets and block the completion of the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – The being shot VFX in 1st person last longer while aiming down sight.
FIXED – Bullet spread randomization is missing when hip firing the weapon.
FIXED – The defusing location for the Attack tutorial is too small and close to the bomb.
FIXED – FPS drops when players spin around quickly in B Laundry Room of the Oregon map.
FIXED - The wall button on the interactive panel isn't highlighted when the destructible wall is active in the Shooting Range.
FIXED - Brava doesn't get scoring points when using Jager's Active Defense System or Wamai's MAG-NET System that's been hacked by a Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Scoring doesn't count the 4th device deployed by Amaru, Gridlock or Castle.
FIXED - Weapon SFX loops when players shoot and fast exit rappel at the same time.
FIXED - Players skip reload animation during pick up or weapon swap animation.



FIXED – A stud is visible in 2F Attic of the Oregon map.
FIXED – A stud is visible in 1F Security Corridor of the Oregon map.
FIXED – LOD issue is present in the hallway between 1F Hatch Room and 1F Melee Training of the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – Cliffside spawn point is missing from the Chalet map.
FIXED – A stud is visible in 2F Back Stairs of the Villa map.
FIXED – The Operator gets stuck after navigating across the crates in the Basics tutorial.
FIXED – Defenders are detected as outside at multiple locations on various maps.
FIXED – Texture flickers on carpet in 1F Open Area of the Consulate map.
FIXED – Laser attachment is visible through the wall when the Operator is facing it while prone.
FIXED – Metals crates are see-through to Operators in the 2F Server Room of the the Kanal map.
FIXED - Operator gets stuck when jumping onto a balcony at EXT Back Alley on Favela map.
FIXED - Operators can't retrieve the defuser if it's dropped while entering or exiting rappel in specific spots on various maps.
FIXED – Various defuser planting and pickup issues.
FIXED - Various collision, asset, and texture issues on maps.



FIXED – Placing Ram's BU-GI below a window can allow players to instantly exit rappel.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI slides through the air when thrown against uneven surfaces.
FIXED – Solis can't detect Ram's BU-GI when it is held in her hands.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI loses functionality after being dropped while Ram is holding it.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI gets stuck in multiple walls and assets on various map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to completely destroy the walls located in 1F Joint Corridor of the Theme Park map.
FIXED – When Ram holds the first BU-GI and attempts to change its trajectory, the HUD trajectory icon doesn't update.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to completely destroy the wall located in between 1F Lounge and 1F Garage of Clubhouse map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI is unable to break the wooden walls located in 2F Ceramic Gallery of the Country Club map.
FIXED – Ram's BU-GI gets stuck in the wall located in 2F Day Care of the Theme Park map.
FIXED – Castle's Armor Panels aren't destroyed by Ram's BU-GI.
FIXED – When Ram eliminates a player with the BU-GI, the kill cam zooms on the BU-GI at random intervals.
FIXED – Scoring points aren't awarded when Operators destroy Goyo's Volcan Canister by destroying a barricade it's placed on.
FIXED – Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine clips through the floor, making it harder to spot.
FIXED – Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher doesn't ping opponents inside the swarm until affected by the decay debuff.
FIXED – Hibana's X-Kairos pellets go through the cubicles in the 2F Admin Office of the Consulate map.
FIXED – Frost's Welcome Mat doesn't deploy properly when dropped on top of the defuser.
FIXED - A Bulletproof Camera affected by a hacked Signal Disruptor shows glitched VFX even after the Signal Disruptor is destroyed.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone looks higher and lower than intended.
FIXED - Ping doesn't display the right color when used on Goyo's Vulcan Canister.
FIXED - Echo's Yokai Drone doesn't move properly when exiting the Observation Tools mid-jump and then re-entering.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone loses signal when moved outside after re-hacking it from Mozzie's Pest.
FIXED - Missing VFX feedback when spectating Nokk when HEL Presence Reduction is active.
FIXED - Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine location displays as a placeholder when deployed outside of EXT Terrace of the Kafe Dostoyevsky map.
FIXED - Drones don't recover from a lost signal status when reclaimed from Mozzie's Pest using Brava's Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Sledge's Breaching Hammer can't destroy Iana's Gemini Replicator.
FIXED - Valkyrie's Black Eyes are turned off when hacked outside by Brava's Kludge Drone.
FIXED - Osa's Talon-8 shield can't be guard broken if Opponent is prone or crouched while Osa is standing while holding the Talon-8 Shield.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher ammo counter always shows 0 during replay.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher doesn't accurately ping the opponent's location if they're scanned by a drone.
FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher still pings Opponents if Grim is eliminated while deploying a canister.
FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone doesn't display HUD feedback when aiming at devices through certain assets.
FIXED - Sen's R.O.U. Projector System doesn't destroy projectors if deployed more than once.
FIXED - Operator video missing for Smoke.
FIXED – Various animation issues.



FIXED – Can't navigate to the main menu sections by pressing the up arrow or up on the D-pad of a controller while viewing an item in full screen.
FIXED – EXT Construction Site name is missing from the tile when selecting the spawn location on the Oregon map.
FIXED – Ram's default uniform has some visual issues.
FIXED – The main room of the elimination trial for the Basics tutorial displays the wrong compass location.
FIXED – The area before entering 1F Hatch Room in the Basics tutorial displays the wrong compass location.
FIXED – The compass location is missing when the Compass Appearance option is set to Simplified.
FIXED – Chat input functionality is lost and the cursor disappears if the user types in chat or has the player side-panel open when the Planning Phase transitions to the Preparation Phase.
FIXED – Pronounced shadows are present on Operators when viewed from the Operators section.
FIXED – Dread Factor is displayed as the season name on Ram's showcase in the Operator section.
FIXED – The animation in the Home section flickers before resetting.
FIXED – Players under level 5 can't reconnect to a custom online match.
FIXED - Player commendations appear unresponsive when attempting to commend a player a second time.
FIXED - Multiple actions can't be bound to the same button in Customize Controls menu.
FIXED - Crosshair disappears when trying to aim down sight multiple times after getting eliminated.
FIXED - Custom games can't be created using non-Latin characters in the playlist name.
FIXED - The unread notification from Challenges doesn't refresh after exiting and re-entering the Challenges section.
FIXED - Various spectator mode issues.
FIXED – Various UI issues.
FIXED – Various customization issues.
AUDIO
FIXED - SFX loop when players are eliminated while downed.


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In Rainbow Six Siege, every operator is an expert, with a focused proficiency that gives them strength: very strong in the right situations but with flaws in the wrong ones. Our balancing philosophy is all about providing you with the right set of tools to confront very specific situations: for any situation you encounter in the game, there should be wide (but also limited) solutions.

This year, we aim to reduce the strong jack-of-all-trades operators to ensure every decision you make has a thoughtful process behind it. We also want to continue to enhance the game's tactical playstyle by working towards balancing solutions which emphasize the importance of our operator's gadgets.

You will find more details on our vision and plans below, as well as a rundown of our priorities for the rest of Year 8.


We are aware of current community concerns surrounding the 1.5x sight. While your attachment choices should be meaningful, it shouldn't drive your operator pick. To this end, the Balancing team has been working over the past few months on new vectors to balance our operators and their loadouts.

Right now, both Frag Grenades and the 1.5x sight are highly utilized and can have a large effect on the success and presence of an operator. Swapping these between loadouts is a short-term solution, and we are currently taking the time needed to polish a larger set of changes that will bring more sustainable balancing levers, allowing us to make less "binary" changes in the future. The team is actively working on a solution for this complex and entrenched issue in the game's meta.

We recognize that a number of operators such as Iana, Azami, Warden, Solis and Blackbeard, don't feel right at the moment, and of course Recruit shares a similar position. We are in the process of prototyping effective solutions to make these feel balanced and worthy.

In an upcoming mid-season update, we'll be making a number of short-term adjustments to help boost operator presence and variety, or to reign it in where needed. In parallel to this, we have longer-term plans in the pipeline for our weaker and more powerful operators. These plans will help to reinforce the tactical gameplay that Siege is known for, bringing the focus back to gadgets and utilities. With this, running and gunning will come with increased risk and difficulty.

There is a considerable amount of work to be done until we can bring all those solutions to the live server due to the nature of some of these changes. In the meantime, we continue to bring you balancing updates by selecting topics which, on one hand, allow us to make the necessary adjustments to the meta and work towards this goal, and on the other hand, aren't taking too much time or resources away from these longer-term plans and priorities.


With part one of Grim's buff released in Y8S2, it's now time to look at what's next. In Y8S3, we will enable Grim to switch the firing mode on the Kawan Hive Launcher, with the alternative mode making Kawan Hives bounce off of surfaces rather than sticking to them. The update will increase Grim's versatility, giving players the ability to bounce Kawan Hives around corners and removing the line of sight requirement. This change completes our current vision for Grim and we're looking forward to seeing how players make use of this evolution.

After internal play sessions and a release on the Test Server, we felt like there was still work to be done on the Frost rework, and so we have made meaningful adjustments for the final release.

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

• Increased self-revive time
  
• Extended and made the debuff more severe after self-reviving
  
• Allowing teammate revive, cancelling the debuff activation

These changes make self-reviving from a Welcome Mat a much more dangerous and rewarding feat. It will allow Frost players more time to react, and this coupled with the increased debuff, will make sure that players don't want to fall victim to the traps. At the same time, with a teammate revive being an enticing option, Frost players are still going to find those "double kill" opportunities.

We'll be releasing this rework during Y8S3 and carefully evaluating Frost's performance throughout the season.

WHY DOES THE WELCOME MAT NEED A CHANGE?

Currently, if an attacker falls victim to a Welcome Mat, a player is left trapped, out of options, and effectively removed from the action. We don't want players to feel helpless in any situation; an operator should always have options, even if they are limited. With this being the case, we feel that a change to the way that Welcome Mats work is needed, in order to improve the experience for stricken players. With this change we're enabling players to take action, giving them the ability to remove themselves from the Welcome Mat, however, during and after their attempted escape, players are going to feel vulnerable. Critically though, with the usual sound cues and the addition of blood trails, the huntress can still be ready to take care of her foes.

Fuze packs high fire power but can still feel limited in many circumstances. To improve Fuse's usability, Cluster Charges will be able to be deployed on Deployable Shields and Osa's Talon-8 Shields, providing new strategic possibilities for players to find and utilize.

We'll also be reworking all shotguns in Y8S3 (excluding the BOSG 12, TCSG12, and ACS12) with the goal of bringing more consistency to the weapon type. This change will make aiming down sights more rewarding, while decreasing the effectiveness of hip-fire. You can find more in-depth information on this change here.

We want shield operators to feel strong, while taking away the feeling of powerlessness when facing off against them; In a one-on-one situation, a player should feel that they have a chance against a shield operator, and on the other side, a shield operator should not be bullied without consequence or risk. Changes such as removing hip-fire while the shield is out will help to remove frustrations on both sides of the battle, and reinforce the idea that with a team around them, a shield operator can be a true force to be reckoned with.

Kiba Barriers have allowed Azami to become one of the strongest operators in the defender lineup, giving her the ability to control areas and create angles which are difficult for opponents to deal with and see. We'll be making changes to decrease the robustness of her gadget and to give attackers the option to play more aggressively against her. Once these changes are ready, we'll be testing and evaluating them with community feedback, ensuring that they are effective and balanced.

Community concerns are our concerns: we are refactoring and making proactive changes behind the scenes to answer the feedback you are sharing with us to make siege this unique tactical shooter experience we all enjoy.

In this latest edition of Designer's Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that'll come with the Y8S3 Update and give you some insight into the reasons behind them.






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 Bomb Site.







We've been observing both Iana and Warden's continuous ascent to the top tiers of presence in matches. We are aware of the situation and the issues behind it.
Iana's high presence is mainly driven by her access to Frag Grenades, while Warden's high presence relates to the strength of 1.5x sights on Defender loadouts. The Community's sentiments over this topic are in alignment with ours. These operators need changes, and we will take action in an upcoming mid-season patch to make sure they feel less like "must picks" and more like weighted choices within a squad's lineup.

This mid-season patch adjustment is aimed at allowing more operator diversity in matches in the short term, but we are working in parallel on a bigger solution that will attend the balance situation of Frag Grenades and the 1.5x sight within Siege. Both elements are widespread through our lineup of operators, and we know that shuffling them around is not a sustainable solution, that is why we are taking the time to polish a more substantial set of changes that should open up more balancing options allowing us to make less "binary" changes in the future.

• Can be deployed on Deployable Shields and Talon Shields

Now that Fuze can deploy the Cluster Charge on reinforcements, we will also allow him to do it on Deployable shields and Talon Shields. It is a small change but will create a new synergy between Fuze and Osa, allowing the use of his charges in places that weren't possible before. Though there is a cost. As with any other bulletproof glass, the Cluster Charge will shatter the shields when the drilling is successful.

• Can pierce through Deployable Shields and Talon Shields.

This change won't have a huge impact on matches, but it will bring consistency to the rules of piercing, if the gadget can get through reinforcements, it should also be capable of piercing Deployable and Talon Shields. Since the piercing action of the Argus Camera cannot shatter Mira's Black Mirror, then the same rule applies to shields, so they won't shatter either.

• Switch Ability Mode to Sticky (default) or Bouncy

One of the main weaknesses of Grim is the need to have line of sight with the location you want to activate the Hive in. With this update, we are introducing a new firing mode to address this. From now on, Grim can select if the projectile will stick or bounce after touching a surface. This adds to all the changes done in the previous season and will help you to apply the effect on your target.

• Gadget refill timer Reduced to 20 seconds (from 30)
  
• Max resources Increased to 9 mines (from 8)

• Gadget type is now Mechanical (unaffected by EMPs)
  
• Initial damage Increased to 5hp (from 0)
  
• Poison damage Increased to 12hp (from 8)
  
• Poison timer Reduced to 2 seconds (from 2.5)
  
• Cloaking removed
  
• HUD Icon removed
  
• Stepping on a GU Mine while being affected by another will reset the Poison timer and deal the Poison damage instantly.
  
• Added Area of Effect feedback

LOADOUT

Added Super Shorty as a secondary weapon option

Dying because of something invisible is a source of frustration and is why we removed the initial damage from the GU mine at the beginning of Year 5. But this change also removed a situation we've been trying to recover for some time: the fear of stepping on multiple mines in a row.

We have reintroduced the initial damage and made stepping on multiple mines a bit spicier. If you are already poisoned by a GU mine and trigger another, you will receive the initial damage and an instant tick of poison damage from the one already on your foot, so you will need to be more careful. These 2 changes turn the mines into a threat again. We are also tweaking some extra values, like the poison damage and the timer, to make removing the nail more urgent.

Because of these changes we have decided to remove the cloaking completely, making GU mines always visible. This should eliminate the frustration and increase the skill ceiling, as you will need to look for good locations to place your mines. This also removes the only electronic part of the device, so IQ won't be able to detect them, and Brava won't be able to hack them.

• Bulletproof Glass: Hitting the shield with a melee will shatter the glass windows.

We have taken the opportunity to update the Shattered Glass System for Deployable Shields along with the changes to Fuze. If the shield receives a melee hit, the glass of the windows will be shattered.

• Every shotgun excluding the BOSG 12, TCSG12 and ACS12 have had the following changes.
  
• Ranges are normalized into 3 stages.
  
• 0-5 meters, each pellet deals 100% of the base damage
  
• 6-10 meters , each pellet deals 75% of the base damage
  
• 13 meters and above, each pellet deals 45% of the base damage
  
• Headshot modifier: A pellet getting the headshot modifier deals 1.5x the damage after its range modifier.
  
• Hip fire spread has been revisited and redistributed across the board.
  
• Shooting while aiming down sight results in a tighter spread across the board. Note that this effect is not new, just being increased to reward players when aiming down sights.
  
• Moving increases the spread.

This is a big pass on every classical shotgun in the game. With these changes we are adding consistency and something you can learn. Ranges are normalized and based on the average kill distance in the game as well as the m590A1, which we know is a favorite at this time. The goal here is to reward good practices such as aiming for the head or holding angles. These changes are aimed at making shotguns less spray and pray, and more worthy as an option without removing what is currently working.


As announced during the year 8 reveal, we started to look at how we could change Quick Match to make it much more... well "Quick." We realized that we needed to make tweaks to other playlists for this new Quick Match to fit.

• Action phase reduced to 165s (from 180).
  
• Operator pick phase duration reduced to 20s (from 30). Additionally, if the round did not involve a role swap, the operator pick phase is reduced to 15s.
  
• Preparation phase reduced to 30s (from 45).
  
• Objective locations are automatically revealed for attackers at the start of the round.
  
• Clearance Level availability increased to CL 10
  
• We have made some tweaks to the matchmaking algorithm for Quick Match to find matches quicker.
  
• We will be applying a soft reset to the casual skill level algorithm to bring everyone closer together, which should result in finding matches even faster.

We are also taking this chance to implement 2 new concepts to the Quick Match playlist: Pre-Setups and the Attacker Safeguard



For every map in the map pool, we have designed 2 sets of pre-setups for every bombsite (this new feature is bomb exclusive) which include a number of pre-deployed reinforcements on the map as well as pre-placed rotations and holes.
These new pre-setups will allow defenders to jump into the action right away without having to worry about reinforcing the entire site.


Attackers in Quick Match will no longer have to worry about possible spawn peaks or runouts at the beginning of the round as we are implementing 10 seconds of invulnerability at the start of the Action Phase (for attackers only). An attacker will become vulnerable again after those 10 seconds or if that attacker enters the building. This way, attackers will be able to approach the building without having to check every window.

We are also extending the already known "Red Walls" for 10 additional seconds to keep defenders from exiting the building while the attackers are making their approach.

These changes are aimed at making Quick Match a place in Rainbow Six: Siege that allows you to jump straight into the action and jump out to another match. We want players to feel that they can have their R6 fix easier, without having to worry about the basic and repetitive actions of a normal Siege match.

Additionally, we wanted to address the fact that some of the more classic maps in the casual map pool will not be included in the new Quick Match. We know that losing access to these maps can be frustrating and we will actively work towards adding them back to the map pool as soon as they are ready with their own new pre-setups.

Part of this update includes changing what was previously Unranked and giving it a new identity inside Rainbow Six: Siege. With the Quick Match updates, we were losing a place in the game to experience a core Siege match outside of the Ranked environment, that's why we decided to shift Unranked into what we now call the "Standard" playlist.

Standard will now also be the recommended playlist for new players coming into the game.

• Removal of Operator and Map ban phases.
  
• Overtime rounds changed to 1 (from 3).
  
• Clearance Level availability changed to CL 0.
  
• We are renaming the competitive cluster to "Tactical" in order to better inform players about the type of playlists that can be found inside.

See the upcoming changes to Rainbow Six Siege with the release of Y8S2.3.


Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 1.12GB
  
• Steam: 1.5 GB
  
• Xbox One: 1.36 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 1.64 GB
  
• PS4: 1.65 GB
  
• PS5: 1.57 GB

• Vigil will share the same glitching behavior as Nøkk.
  
• The ERC-7 Video Disruptor will not be deactivated when performing certain actions, such as shooting, and instead will trigger the glitch effect on cameras.
  
• Vigil won't be immune to Lion's EE-ONE-D and Grim's Kawan Hive. Both gadgets will detect him, but he can prevent being pinged by activating the ERC-7.

• The HEL gadget ability no longer reduces movement sounds.
  
• Maximum duration increased to 20 seconds (from 12).
  
• Added new glitching sources, such as being flashed or pushed.
  
• Nøkk is no longer immune to Alibi's Prisma. It will detect her, but she can prevent being pinged by activating her the HEL gadget.

• Added 1.5x sight to the UZK50GI.

• Increased hatch climb speed by 30%.

FIXED - Missing unlimited ammo in the Snipers Arcade after joining a match in progress.

FIXED - Devices are detected outside when placed on the back wall of 2F Main Stairs in the Skyscraper map.


FIXED - The Battle Pass map flashes on screen when going to the Progress section.

FIXED - Error received when accepting a Squad invite from a player that was part of the same Squad in a previous match.

FIXED - Various Shop and Customization issues.

In this latest edition of Designer's Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that'll come with the Y8S2.3 Update and give you some insight into the reasons behind them.





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 Bomb Site.






UZK50GI

• Sights: Added 1.5x.

Thorn is currently one of the least picked trappers on defender lineups, we've decided to boost her loadout by adding a 1.5x sight to the UZK50GI, this should increase her popularity within the trapper ecosystem.

HEL Presence Reduction

• Remove silent steps while the ability is active.
  
• Increase duration of the ability to 20s (from 12)
  
• Update glitching reasons

Deception is always a controversial topic and Nøkk's ability is conceived around it. She can become invisible to observation tools and at the same time mute her footsteps. She is leading some of the main frustration for defenders and we would like to tackle this. In a quiet environment everyone should be able to hear someone else approaching, and Nøkk's ability to move silently breaks this rule. We've decided to remove the silent facet of the ability in exchange for increased ability duration.

ERC-7

• On observation tools Vigil will share the same glitching effect as Nøkk.
  
• The ability won't deactivate while performing certain actions, like shooting, and will instead trigger the glitch effect on observation tools.
  
• Vigil won't be immune to Lion's EE-ONE-D or Grim's Kawan Hive. Both gadgets will detect him, but he can prevent being pinged down by activating the ERC-7.

Nøkk and Vigil share a similar ability, and in the pursuit of consistency, we've decided to extend Nøkk's cloaking rules to Vigil. With this change Vigil will glitch on observation tools while performing actions like shooting, deploying a gadget or sprinting. These new interactions will reward players that proceed more carefully while using the ERC-7 and will punish those who act more careless.

Hatch Climb

• Reduced hatch climb interaction time by 30%.

Our game data shows that Oryx does not profit much from his ability to climb hatches. We would like to make this interaction smoother by reducing its recovery time, now it should feel less dangerous to perform.


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Since the release of the Reputation System Beta, we've made several shadow updates to not only improve the foundations of the Reputation System, but also the stability of player Standings and this has continued throughout Y8S1. During Y8S1, we made further changes to ensure that the occurrence and severity of a player's negative actions align with an equally severe impact on a player's Standing. We want players to have confidence in the system, so while adjusting the effects that certain actions have on a player's Reputation Standing, our goal is to make sure that Standings don't change match to match, time after time. As well as this, it's crucial that Standing changes are still happening when warranted and that the presence of the system is felt by abusers.


We are now tracking additional conditions to help increase our knowledge of players' disruptive actions. One such high-impact example of this is a player instigated crashes that are indicative of DDOS attacks. Being able to track a wider range of actions completed by a player such as DDOS, text abuse, leaving matches, and more, has allowed us to build a more robust overview of a player, enabling us to take more appropriate actions to mitigate abuse, and to help foster a more positive experience for all.


In the early days of the Reputation System, we were looking at a limited time period when deciding whether to give a penalty. This was due both to a limitation of the system and a desire to ensure that only the worst of the worst offenders would be receiving penalties. In the time since, the Reputation System has become more robust, and we have seen a great response to reputation penalties. Because of this, we have updated the ranges over which the system checks for negativity. The result of this longer and more dynamic 'memory' of the Reputation System is that the system will be more accurate in delivering penalties to a larger group of offending players and will make bypassing the system more difficult.



In Operation Dread Factor, we've made numerous quality of life changes to help players more clearly understand when and what penalties are active and more.

Y8S2 Updates

• Activation banner appears on the first round rather than every round
  
• Active Penalty Banner renamed to Penalties from Warnings
  
• Active Penalty banner disappears shortly after a round begins
  
• Active Penalty icons remain for match duration.
  
• Penalty pop-ups will appear when returning to the main menu. If a pop-up was missed, it will appear after launching the game.

As we move forward with the Reputation System, we will continue to release updates in multiple areas. The Y8S2 update has already brought UI improvements for the reputation penalties and as we progress, we will continue to perform systemwide rebalancing as needed. In Y8S3 we will be introducing several new features that aim to improve players' insight into their Reputation Standing and create new opportunities to interact. We continue to be focused on delivering on our core goal of improving player experience in Rainbow Six Siege.

One of the top complaints of PvP shooter players across the entire genre is cheating and toxic behavior. In the space of a single session, one cheater can ruin the experience for hundreds if not thousands of players. Over the last 12 months, Rainbow Six Siege and its Player Protection team have reoriented the way we think and develop features to address this challenge. This has led to the development of two industry-first systems, which we call MouseTrap and QB. These two systems have already had an enormous positive impact on the health of our game. Research and development undertaken has resulted in a suite of current and planned initiatives that are bringing creative and sometimes counter-intuitive solutions to problems that have plagued PvP shooter fans for years.

This isn't the end of the journey, but the start. Player protection is a never-ending battle and arms race, but our belief on the Siege development team is that this is one of the most important places to innovate --- both as a game, and as an industry.

Below we will share some of our learnings from these two systems, as well as updates in our Reputation System, and give some insight into how our players are driving our choices and about some of the new initiatives we are working on for the coming year.

The Player Protection team on Rainbow Six Siege has worked diligently to address the feedback from our community and ensure transparency along the way.



MouseTrap has been live for close to 3 months now. This feature launched mid-season with Operation Commanding Force (Y8S1.2 update) on April 11, 2023. We wanted to give you a brief update on how it's going and what we have learned.

MouseTrap is a new detection system which penalizes the use of Mouse and Keyboard on console by adding extra input latency (or lag) to players detected, encouraging them to switch back to using their controller. Our objective is to restore a true balance between competition and skill to improve fair play in Rainbow Six Siege.

We are very satisfied with MouseTrap's detection capabilities so far. We expected to see a moderate reduction in the number of spoofers at launch with preliminary results estimated at 30% to 50%. However, the data we've gathered has surpassed these expectations and has shown a major reduction in the amount of Mouse and Keyboard users on consoles.

There has been a 78% reduction in the total spoofers (Mouse and Keyboard users) detected in Rainbow Six Siege. If we look at Ranked on its own, the reduction is similar; 73% fewer spoofers than before.



When first we announced this feature, many were wondering why we chose to penalize Mouse and Keyboard users instead of banning them. We wanted to give these players the chance to change their behavior and play fairly. Today, we are able to confirm that this approach and new system has indeed contributed to a behavioral change: once detected by MouseTrap, many users are returning to their controllers or switching to PC. Our data shows that after a first penalty, 43% of penalized players will continue to play the game without ever getting any further penalties.

If you've been hesitant to play Ranked on console before or if you're thinking of returning to the game after some time away, now is the perfect time to give it a try as this means there are fewer Mouse and Keyboard players on console now than at any time in the last few years.

We are dedicated to ensuring fairness in Rainbow Six Siege and are aware of current community concerns with MouseTrap. We are currently working to deploy a fix for the reported issue as soon as possible.


Released on November 8, 2022, QB is one of our latest PC anti-cheat features which aims to make cheat development more tedious. We've seen great results from this system which has already contributed to the ban of over 10 000 cheaters, and we are only getting started! We've also been made aware that several cheat vendors have stopped creating cheats for Siege following this update and have been getting a lot of positive feedback from our community regarding their in-game experience since the deployment of this feature. We are, however, continuously monitoring this system to identify opportunities for improvement.


Reducing in-game toxicity has been a major focus for our Player Protection team this year, both in terms of abuse around friendly fire and unwanted communications. Since March 8, 2023, players who engage in voice chat abuse after two warnings receive a penalty and have their voice chat muted to others by default for the next 30 matches. This penalty is complementary to the written chat penalty introduced in the game in Year 7 on October 2022.

Both penalties aim to reduce unwanted communication and the impact of offenders by informing these players, via a set of in-game warnings and feedback, of how they are perceived by others for them to change and adapt their behavior before they get sanctioned by the game. The data gathered so far on this feature indicate that the addition of those penalties has indeed contributed to reducing toxicity in Rainbow Six Siege: half of the players who received a first warning for Voice or Written chat abuse have been dissuaded from continuing to abusing it.

This is also reflected in our first Reputation Penalty around reverse friendly fire, which aims to reduce cases associated with recidivists who injure too many teammates by abusing certain mechanism across several matches.

Looking to Year 9, the Reputation System will continue to evolve. We'll be working to add further sources that we can use to help increase the coverage of the system and ultimately safeguard player safety and enjoyment.




We are committed to ensuring a safe environment and fair experience for all players, many features are currently being developed to reinforce players' protection and will be released throughout Year 8.

[New] Player Commendation System - The Player Commendation System is a new appreciative system that will be made available in Y8S3 (Autumn 2023). With this feature, we want to reinforce and encourage positivity in our community by allowing players to recognize others at the end of a match based on their experience.

[Update] Reputation System - The Reputation System will get several updates this year. Y8S2 has already brought Reputation Penalty UI improvements and we will continue to support the system with ongoing rebalancing. In both Y8S3 & Y8S4, we will be introducing new features which will help players to better understand their Reputation Standing and while also bringing additional opportunities to interact with this system.

[New] Privacy Mode on Console - Privacy Mode, a feature to help protect streamers and players who are looking for additional privacy in-game was made available on PC last year with Y7S2 Operation Vector Glare and will be coming to console before the end of Year 8.

[Update] Ranked Requirements - Phone number validation has seen a successful implementation, though our work protecting Ranked continues. During Year 8 & 9, we will be taking the first steps to start a new foundation in safeguarding the competitive integrity of the game. As part of this, we will be bringing multiple new measures which will also aim to address smurfing. Crucially, we'll be reinforcing these foundations with new initiatives throughout Year 9. Not only will this support our current Anti-Cheat efforts, but it will also encourage returning players to rediscover Siege before jumping into competition, therefore improving the ranked experience for all players. More information about this update will be revealed later this year.

Stay tuned during the rest of Year 8 and beyond to discover more updates to make Rainbow Six Siege fair and safe for everyone. Follow us and share your feedback on Twitter or Instagram!