Find the download sizes for each platform below.

Ubisoft Connect: 3.45 GB
Steam: 2.8 GB
Xbox One: 3.19 GB
Xbox Series X: 3.56 GB
PlayStation 4: 3.64 GB
PlayStation 5: 3.29 GB

Due to a last minute bug, the following feature was pushed back to a further season.

RAPPEL IMPROVEMENTS

• Rappel is now instant and can be entered from further away when holding the rappel input and sprinting towards a rappel point.

FIXED - Players are able to eliminate more targets than the Target Drill objective states during Map Training.

FIXED - Enemies aren't pinged when they are scanned by Observation Tool during an AI Bot match.

FIXED - Tutorial's flow can't be completed as the dummy can't be scanned on the "Maintain 'scan button' to scan an enemy" objective during the Attack tutorial.

FIXED - Tutorial's flow can't be completed as the "Find all opponents by scanning them" can't complete the objective during the Defense tutorial.

FIXED - Talon-8 Clear Shield remains in her hand if it is destroyed when picked up.

FIXED - Points aren't lost if Operators destroy their own devices.

FIXED - Barriers aren't destroyed if walls are reinforced with Azami's Kiba Barrier.

FIXED - AI Bots get stuck in basement of the memorial room on the Clubhouse map in Versus AI mode.

FIXED - Operator UI is improperly displayed when a scan is used before the preparation phase timer ends.

FIXED - AI bots that are downed move faster than normal in Versus AI mode.

FIXED - Operators don't receive electrical damage when downed if they leave and re-enter the electrified area.

FIXED - Shield damage animation is missing from Suppressive Fire effect.

FIXED - Players can't complete Basics Tutorial if they restart in the middle of training.

FIXED - Players are able to hide a drone in the ceiling vent located in Red Stairs 2F on the Kanal map.

FIXED - Players can get stuck between two wood stacks located at EXT Garage on the Kanal map.

FIXED - Players can clip through an archway located at EXT Crash Scene on the Border map.

FIXED - Players can get stuck between the door and the fence located at EXT Warehouse on the Clubhouse map.

FIXED - Unfair lines of sight are present through the gaps in the tractor cabin located at 1F Garage of the stadium map.

FIXED - Window reflection isn't accurate on exterior windows of the Tower map.

FIXED - Destructible walls don't break as intended when destroyed with explosives on the Chalet map.

FIXED - Players have an unintended line of site for spawn eliminations in B Garage on the Consulate map.

FIXED - Operators levitate when laying prone on top of a sofa in 1F Sunrise bar on the Stadium map.

FIXED - Players have an unintended line of sight to EXT Parking on the Consulate map by running out from B Yellow Stairs to EXT Courtyard.

FIXED - Echo's Yokai Drone can see through textures on the ceiling on 2F Party Room on the Outback map.

FIXED - Echo's Yokai drone can get stuck behind a washing machine in B Laundry Storage on the Oregon map.

FIXED - Sens' R.O.U. Projector System gets stuck underneath some barricades instead of rolling through them in multiple locations on multiple maps.

FIXED - Throwable and sticky devices have no collision with a Christmas tree stand in 1F VIP Room on the Kafe Dostoyevsky map.

FIXED - Players are able to navigate onto vending machines located at 2F Break Room of the Border map.

FIXED - Players are able to navigate onto the vending machines located at 1F Tellers on the Border map.

FIXED - Smoke's Remote Gas Grenade can't be retrieved if thrown between a wall and weapon case in 1F Armory on the Lair map.

FIXED - Maestro's Evil Eye can be placed in an unintended spot in 2F Office on the Chalet map.

FIXED - Defenders can get an unfair advantage on top of a forklift located in B Barrels on the Lair map.

FIXED - Players get stuck between a fence and crated in Damage Lane on the Shooting Range map.

FIXED - Players can reach an advantageous line of sight in 2F Meeting Room on the Consulate map.

FIXED - Players are able to vault onto a chandelier in 2F Mezzanine on the Outback map.

FIXED - Various collision, asset, and texture issues on maps.

FIXED - Players can get stuck in 1st person point of view after detonating Flores' RCE-RATERO Charge.

FIXED - Brava's Kludge Drone can hack more devices than intended if players cancel the hack while holding down the shoot button on controller.

FIXED - Grim's Kawan Hive can affect Vigil permanently if Vigil's ERC-7 is used while leaving and entering the area of effect multiple times.

FIXED - Ram isn't displayed in the Operator Selection phase if the player does not own the operator.

FIXED - Tubarao's headgear and uniform thumbnail is displayed instead of Deimos.

FIXED - Tubarao's default headgear uniform appearance is displayed as Deimos.

FIXED - Osa's Talon-8 Clear Shield doesn't protect from flash effects.

FIXED - Deimos' hands are misaligned with the .44 Vendetta when switching weapons while sprinting.

FIXED - Ying's Candela shows a throw trajectory previsualization when deploying the device onto a surface.

FIXED - Deployable devices can be deployed on Alibi's Prisma Holograms.

FIXED - Amaru's Garra Hook can be used on the roof of EXT Range Terrance on the Lair map.

FIXED - Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine doesn't react properly if hacked by Brava's Drone while active.

FIXED - Demios' DeathMARK charge is not refunded if Opponents are in a state that deactivates the DeathMARK at the end of the countdown.

FIXED - Fenrir's F-NATT Dread Mine gives back more tickets than what is used if players overlap mines and quickly switch to a deactivated mine while activating another.

FIXED - Wrong stats for shield during pick phase.

FIXED - Missing shield stats when hovering over ready button while playing as a shield Operator.

FIXED - 6 bullets are listed for all destruction types in the advances weapon stats screen.

FIXED - Aiming down sight time isn't reduced with the Iron Sight.

FIXED - The weapon stats are compared to themselves when players select Ready in prep phase. Incorrect weapon stats comparisons are displayed when players select ready in the preparation phase.

FIXED - When a player-operator Observation Tool is destroyed while someone in support mode is watching, the static VFX persist across all Observation Tools for the support-mode player.

FIXED - Extra UI element is present at the top left of the screen while selecting an Operator during the Planning Phase.

FIXED - The scrollbar does not appear in the Locker after reaching 4th rows of items.

FIXED - Animation issue when exiting rappel while carrying the hostage.

FIXED - Missing image for Versus AI Update notification.

FIXED - AI Bot animations break if Bots quickly change direction or leave a position on the Nighthaven Labs map.

FIXED - Operator animations break when players move too close to certain objects on the Herford Base map during Snipers game mode.

FIXED - Operator animations break when players take the stairs in EXT East Spawn on the Stadium map.

FIXED - Missing Advanced weapon stats on GONNE-6.

FIXED - Aiming Down Sight Time and Reload Speed comparison colors are switched up when comparing weapons.

FIXED - The horizontal gauges for Damage, Fire rate, Magazine and Max capacity used for easier comparison between weapons are only either empty or full, with no values shown in between.

FIXED - The text "time needed to aim" and "6 bullets needed" in shooting record is blurry.

FIXED - Crash to desktop when selecting "Options" for certain returning players.

FIXED - The Return Home button from the Tutorial Rewards modal has no functionality.

FIXED - If the resolution is set to higher than the monitor's native resolution, the Monitor and Resolution tabs will lose functionality.

FIXED - Various UI issues.

FIXED - Various Match Replay issues.

FIXED - Various spectator mode issues.

FIXED - Various localization issues.

FIXED - Mono audio output doesn't combine the audio into a single stream.

FIXED - Mozzie's Pest Launcher hack SFX plays twice after the player loses control of the drone.

FIXED - Missing audio when players drop down a hatch while prone.

FIXED - Missing SFX for Solis' SPEC-IO Electro-Sensor if player is eliminated when activated.

FIXED - Missing SFX for Nitro Cell when thrown onto indestructible surfaces between walls.

FIXED - Various audio issues.

Operation New Blood introduces the first Operator Remaster in Siege, and who better to inaugurate this event than the iconic Recruit. Meet Striker, the attacker recruit, and Sentry, the defender recruit, who have been optimized for competitive play with their flexible loadouts. Both Recruits will be playable in all modes, including Ranked.


Discover the R6S Membership, the ultimate Siege offer that gives you a drop of exclusive content every month and full access to the Premium Battle Pass

Each month, on top of access to the Battle Pass, you will also receive exclusive rewards including a legendary item, epic bundle for an Operator, 10x Battle levels, and a Bravo pack.

The Premium Battle Pass rewards include an Operator, 18 Bravo Packs, 1 Bravo Ticket, 600 R6 Credits, a 10% store discount and the 30% faster BP progression.

But that's not all. All players who enroll between June 11 to June 18th, will receive an additional epic bundle and 600 R6 Credits!


Operation New Blood introduces impactful Operator balance updates on the defender side for both Fenrir and Solis.

Fenrir will now have four F-NATT Dread Mines and two tickets to activate them. Although the mines will no longer be bulletproof, tickets are recovered when mines get destroyed or deactivated. Fenrir will also swap his Barbed Wire gadget with the Observation Blocker.
Solis' SPEC-IO Electro Sensor ability will now be unavailable during the preparation phase. Additionally, the duration of the ability will be reduced to 10 seconds, the detection range set to 12 meters, and the sensor will need to be at full charge to be used. Solis will also swap her Impact Grenades gadget with Proximity Alarm.


In Season 2, only the Premium Battle Pass will be available. Rewards include an Operator voucher, 18 Bravo Packs, a Bravo ticket, Exclusive skins, 10% store discount, and 600 R6 Credits. The Operator Voucher can be used to unlock one Operator of your choice in the in-game store. If you already own all Operators, you will instead receive 600 R6 Credits!

Since its Beta launch, many of you have been engaging in buying and selling some of your favorite items with other players in the Siege Marketplace. Early in Year 9 Season 2: Operation New Blood, the Marketplace will be fully released and all players with a minimum level 25 clearance will be able to use it without registration needed. Make sure to check out the Rainbow Six Siege website to use the Marketplace and explore all the new features coming with its launch.


Read more about all the content launching with Operation New Blood!

From May 24 to 26, follow the finals:

• Friday 24th Quarterfinals 10:30 AM CEST
  
• Saturday 25th Semifinals 4:15 PM CEST
  
• Sunday 26th Finals and S2 Reveal Panel 4:15 PM CEST

Take a look of the last day exciting lineup:

1. CONTENT CREATORS SHOWMATCH: 7:45 AM PT / 4:45 PM CEST
   A Team of content creators will face off a team of four fans with one “hot seat” featuring a rotation of pro players! Tune in to watch this unconventional battle full of suprises and happenings.
   
   
   
2. YEAR 9 SEASON 2 REVEAL PANEL: 9:00 AM PT / 6:00 PM CEST
   Watch the Reveal Panel for Operation New Blood LIVE. Tune in LIVE for all the details about the remastered Recruit, the R6S Membership, balance updates for Fenrir & Solis, player protection, and more!
   
   
3. GRAND FINAL SHOWDOWN: 9:45 AM PT / 6:45 PM CEST
   The climax of the event unfolds as the two best teams in the world face off in the Grand Final.
   This is the last day to get Esports Pack & in-game items as Twitch drops, don’t forget to link your Ubisoft account!

WATCH NOW

From May 16 to 26, the first BLAST R6 Major of the season is taking place in the UK!

The competition is divided into 3 different phases where the teams fight or the trophy and a $750,000 prize pool, through various formats until the Grand Final on May 26th!

• Play-ins: May 16-17
  
• Playoffs: May 19-22
  
• Finals: May 24-26

WATCH NOW



As for the Six Invitational, you can make your predictions on https://r6esports.com/majorPredictions for each phase of the Major and a chance to win alpha packs and a Battle Pass! You can edit your predictions for Phase 2 until May 19th 12 PM CEST, and for the Finals until May 24th 10 AM CEST!

PARTICIPATE NOW



During the event, Twitch Drops are available on all R6 Esports channels and official watch parties! Watch the livestreams and you will be rewarded with up to 12 Esports Packs full of in-game items such as operator uniforms, headgears, and weapon skins. Here's a sneak preview of what's in store:

• Phase 1: 2 Esports packs to win - 1 per day
  
• Phase 2: 4 esports packs to win - 1 per day
  
• Phase 3: 6 esports packs to win - 2 per day

LINK NOW

Read the Event guide to get all the details about the BLAST R6 Manchester Major

The BLAST R6 Manchester Major is fast approaching! We're looking forward to welcoming the Rainbow Six esports community to Manchester from May 16 to 26, where exciting matches and new reveals about Siege Year 9 Season 2 will happen.

Find out everything there is to know about the event.


Phase 1: May 16 to May 17
Phase 2: May 19 to May 22
Phase 3: May 24 to May 26
Venue: B.E.C Arena



These teams will compete for a lion's share of the USD $750,000 prize pool, as well as points to qualify for the Six Invitational 2025!



The BLAST R6 Major Manchester will feature a 3-phase format with the final weekend playing out in front of a live audience in the B.E.C Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. 



As for the last Six Invitational, you can make your predictions on https://r6esports.com/majorPredictions for each phase of the Major for a chance to win alpha packs and a Battle Pass! Note that you can still edit your predictions for Phase 1 until May 16th 4 PM CET, Phase 2 until May 19th 12 PM CET, and the Finals until May 24th 10 AM CET!



Get ready for Twitch Drops on official R6 channels throughout the event! When watching the stream, you will be rewarded with Esports Packs full of exclusive operator uniforms, headgears, and weapon skins. Here's a sneak preview of what's in store:

• Phase 1: 2 Esports packs to win (1 per day starting from 3 hours of watch time)
  
• Phase 2: 4 esports packs to win (1 per day starting from 3 hours of watch time)
  
• Phase 3: 6 esports packs to win (2 per day starting from 3 hours of watch time)

Our latest Anti-Cheat Status Update for May 2024 is here, bringing the latest updates on MouseTrap, the QB System and more!

Our Anti-Cheat team is evolving. We're currently restructuring, growing, and allocating more resources to our Anti-Cheat team, ensuring that we can provide a secure future for Siege. As the team expands, we'll have more opportunities to reflect the benefits of this growing team in-game. While we're in this stage, our team remains focused on improving your experience.

Here we have our latest ban data, including bans for February, March, and April.



This season marks a significant evolution in our approach to cheating, as we've made improvements to our Data Ban system moving to a machine learning model. We've vastly increased the number of data points used to analyze a player's performance, resulting in a meaningful increase in cheaters being detected and sanctioned through this method. We've also optimized our sanctioning process by increasing how often we run our sanctions, effectively reducing the time it takes to ban detected cheaters by half using this model.

In addition to these efforts, we also have new Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) detections which are currently being used to sanction players. We know that this has been affecting players and we want to make it clear that we are working on identifying behaviors and sanctioning players who are taking advantage of these services.

Looking ahead, we're working on an improved detection of AFK avoiders (idle botters) as well as additional cheat detection updates. These will further enhance our ability to identify and ban cheaters in Rainbow Six Siege, improving the experience for everyone.

CHEATING INCREASE

As we recently communicated, we are aware of the increase in cheating behaviors reported by the community. We want to reassure you that addressing these concerns is a top priority for our Anti-Cheat team and that we are looking to deploy solutions to resolve these issues as soon as possible. The Y9S1.3 patch deployed on May 2nd has temporarily improved this situation while we work on longer term solutions to prevent those cheats.

CRASH EXPLOIT

Our team is actively working on a fix for the Crash Exploit reported by the community. Until then, Abandon Penalties have been retroactively reduced to a 5-minute duration. All newly issued Abandon Penalties will be 5 minutes as well. Thanks a lot for your reports!

Several cheats have been addressed since our last Anti-Cheat Status Update, with some updates going live with Y9S1.3. However, in recent months, we have seen a dramatic decrease in a number of rage cheats being used. This reflects the ongoing work that our team is doing in order to tackle new cheats and protect the game and its players.

Hardening is the act of increasing the security and reducing the surface of vulnerability of the game's code, to protect against attackers. In Y9S1.2, we made several changes which resulted in improved overall game security, and we'll have more improvements coming in Y9S2. These improvements are continuous, and our updates are playing a crucial role in making the game safer. We'll be sharing more on our hardening efforts in the future.

QB is a security system available on PC, designed to make cheat creation more tedious, difficult, and expensive. By creating a less effective environment for cheat creators, our aim is to reduce the amount of cheats being successfully created and sold.

We want to ensure that QB remains effective, so as promised, we are continuing to provide regular updates to this system, and these will come at an increased cadence compared to Year 8.

Another goal of ours is to share more information with legitimate players, helping to understand why a game restart may be happening. Some of these changes are already live; for instance, you may now see the "Update available" prompt in-game in some circumstances, asking you to restart the game when possible.

MouseTrap is a system designed to detect spoofing devices which enable the use of mouse and keyboard on consoles. Changes implemented in Y9S1 have broadened its detection capabilities, allowing us to find more suspicious players.

This season, we are also focusing on your feedback, with most changes being aimed towards enhancing our current system. The Y9S1.3 update is helping to further increase the accuracy of MouseTrap by expanding on the types of devices that it can recognize, and improving the detection of currently identifiable devices. As well as this, the update is working to further minimize false positives, resulting in fewer controller players being incorrectly detected.

In Y9S4, we'll be making use of MouseTrap's detection in new ways, directly improving the experience for controller players. In this upcoming Y9S4 update, if a player is detected using a spoofing device three times,the updated Crossplay system will automatically place them into the PC matchmaking pool for a 90-day period. This will result in matches that feel fairer for controller players, while giving users of the spoofing devices a choice in how they want to play the game.

In conclusion, our dedication to upholding the integrity and fairness of Rainbow Six Siege is unwavering. Our goal this year is to make Rainbow Six Siege both more secure and more reactive when it comes to cheating. Through a multifaceted approach, encompassing machine learning and Data Bans, rigorous hardening, and innovative detection systems such as QB and Mousetrap, we are continuously following up on our commitment to safeguarding the gaming experience for all players.

Cheaters have no place in Siege, our teams are committed to making Siege safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Each season, we provide a Roadmap update to offer further insights into the development of upcoming features to ensure transparent communication with all players. Each update and decision we make takes into account various elements such as player feedback, time allocated to ensure the quality of the features delivered, and more.

With that in mind let’s delve into this mid-season Roadmap update!

• Status: confirmed for Y9S2

[/b][/list]

Since its Beta launch, many of you have been engaging in buying and selling some of your favorite items with other players in the Siege Marketplace. With the upcoming Season 2, we are pleased to confirm that the Siege Marketplace will be fully launched and available for all players to use!

• Status: Part 1 confirmed for Y9S2

[/b][/list]

As announced during the Year 9 Reveal Panel, we are doubling down on our efforts to address cheating in Siege. In Season 2, we will be focusing on a first iteration of an improved ban enforcement measure on Steam (PC), making it more difficult for cheaters to return to the game once banned. As this will be a new addition to our anti-cheat ecosystem, we are breaking down the feature into several iterations, with the first part scheduled for Season 2.

• Status: Confirmed for Y9S2

[/b][/list]

Operator balancing is crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of Siege. As previously hinted, we have focused on the Defense side and will introduce Operator balancing updates to both Fenrir and Solis (Part 1) in the upcoming Season. The second part of Solis’ update is currently scheduled for Season 3.

• Status: Confirmed for Y9S2

[/b][/list]

In Season 2, significant updates will be introduced to Map Training. Newly added to the Year 9 Roadmap, the “Endless Drill” mode will be introduced to the Map Training playlist. Other announced presets and an additional set of maps are also confirmed for the new season.

• Status: Confirmed for Y9S2

[/b][/list]

Having more control over which maps you play has been a longstanding community request, which is why a new filtering feature will make its debut in the Standard Playlist. Map presets will be available in the menu, and will allow you to select your preferred maps.

• Status: New target delivery: Y9S4

[/b][/list]

We are continuously working on improving the Reputation System based on the feedback you have shared with us. Therefore, we have decided to keep this system in Beta phase until Season 4, allowing us to make necessary adjustments to enhance your experience in terms of transparency, effectiveness and overall fairness of the system.

• Status: New target delivery: Y9S3

[/b][/list]

For Player Comfort, the After-Action Screen will receive further updates this season and is currently scheduled for release in Season 3. With this feature, we aim to provide an accurate and insightful recap of each match of Rainbow Six Siege.


Stay tuned for the Year 9 Season 2 Reveal coming up on Sunday, May 26th, at 5PM BST / 9AM PT / 12:00PM ET / 6PM CET.

---
Join the discussion on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Reddit, Facebook, and TikTok. Check out the roadmap for more information on all the features you can expect during Year 9.

Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 935 MB
  
• Steam: 860 MB
  
• Xbox One: 1.1 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 10.73 GB
  
• PlayStation 4: 1.4 GB
  
• PlayStation 5: 1.34 GB

• Increased damage from High caliber Handguns and Revolvers by 10%.
  
• Increased damage received by Medium caliber SMGs and ARs by 10%.
  
• Increased damage received by High caliber ARs and LMGs by 5%.

• Added Impact EMP Grenade.
  
• Removed Stun Grenades.

• Gadget refill increased to 25 seconds (from 20).
  
• Initial damage reduced to 3hp (from 5).
  
• Added Observation Blocker.
  
• Removed Impact Grenades.

• HEL Presence Reduction duration and cooldown increased to 30 seconds (from 20).

• Remah Dash destroys Deployable and Talon Shields.

• R.O.U. Projectors increased to 4 (from 3).

• Damage reduced to 40hp (from 60).
  
• Reduced explosion radius to 2 meters (from 3).

• Explosion threshold to trigger the Guard Break reduced to 30hp (from 50).

In this latest edition of Designer’s Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that’ll come with the Y9S1.3 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.








As observed in the Balancing Matrix, there has been a significant increase in the presence of certain operators. However, despite this shift, their performance statistics do not raise any immediate concerns. Consequently, we have decided not to make any adjustments to the sights distribution in this patch.
It's essential to recognize that the graphs presented reflect only a small segment of the Ranked player base. Below those ranks and across the broader player community, the presence of these operators is considerably lower.

Their presence was higher at the beginning of the season and gradually declined to the numbers you see right now. This downward trend suggests that these operator choices are driven more by novelty than by overwhelming strength. We observed similar patterns during the 1,5x era, and based on tests conducted over the past year, we prefer a cautious approach rather than immediate reaction because the system is still too new. We believe maintaining the current distribution throughout the entire season won't compromise the overall balance.

Additionally, prematurely removing these operators could prompt players to swiftly switch to the next operator equipped with Magnified Scope. Such a shift might adversely impact the balance of other operators that have not received as much attention and are currently in a good position. Hasty removal would not allow sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate all the pros and cons of the new sights, especially considering that nostalgia and novelty are still influencing the decisions.


________________________________________

[h4]KIBA BARRIER[/h4]

• Increased by 10% the damage received by High caliber Handguns and Revolvers.
  
  • Handguns: .44 Mag Semi-Auto, D-50
    
  • Revolvers: .44 Vendetta, Keratos .357, LFP586
• Increased by 10% the damage received by Medium caliber Submachine Guns and Assault Rifles.
  
  • Submachine Guns: K1A, P90, UMP45, Vector.45 ACP
    
  • Assault Rifles: 416-C Carbine, 552 Commando, 556XI, AK-12, AR33, AUG A2, C7E, C8-SFW, Commando 9, F2, F90, G36C, L85A2, PARA-308, POF-9, R4-C, SC3000K, Type-89
• Increased by 5% the damage received by High caliber Assault Rifles and Light Machine Guns.
  
  • Assault Rifles: AK-74M, ARX200, M4, M762, Mk17 CQB, Spear .308, V308
    
  • Light Machine Guns: 6P41, ALDA 5.56, DP27, G8A1, LMG-E, M249, M249 SAW, T-95 LSW

The weapon base damage, the damage drop-off curve, the distance to the barrier, and the barrier resistance are just a few of the variables we need to consider for the +100 weapons available when balancing this system. We were already aware that the Kiba Barriers might still require too many bullets to be destroyed by certain weapons. However, we wanted to be cautious not to render the barriers completely ineffective now that every operator will be able to deal with them. As a result, we opted for an initial release with barriers that remain robust. Our plan is to iterate, seeking the optimal balance while closely monitoring the impact of each adjustment.

Despite the data is showing that the new feature is being utilized, the lifespan of the barriers hasn't significantly changed. This suggests that Attackers continue to face challenges when dealing with them. Explosives and melee attacks remain the primary methods of destruction, making the risk associated with shooting at a barrier still high enough to favor the use of explosives.

Upon analyzing the damage received by the barriers during destruction, we observed that Designated Marksman Rifles perform exceptionally well against them. Consequently, our focus will primarily be on increasing the damage received from Assault Rifles and Light Machine Guns. The additional weapons mentioned here are affected for the sake of consistency, as they share the same caliber configuration.

[h4]LOADOUT[/h4]

• Secondary Gadgets: Added Impact EMP Grenade. Removed Stun Grenades.

Considering her ability to bait defenders and facilitate re-frag opportunities for teammates following the hologram, she should be an excellent operator choice for support players. Additionally, her infinite intel gathering resources make her particularly advantageous in the current situation, where drones are limited. Therefore, we will enhance her support capabilities by incorporating Impact EMP Grenades and maybe look into the Gemini Replicator in the future.

[h4]GU MINE[/h4]

• Initial damage: Reduced to 3hp (from 5).
  
• Gadget refill timer: Increased to 25 seconds (from 20).

[h4]LOADOUT[/h4]

• Secondary Gadgets: Added Observation Blocker. Removed Impact Grenades.

Since the removal of cloaking from his GU Mines, we've observed positive changes in his performance. Despite the uncloaked mines, the number of mines triggered per round has remained relatively stable, resulting in higher average damage than initially anticipated.

To maintain the core essence of the GU Mine, we have made a slight reduction in its initial damage. Our intention is to emphasize the urgency of removing the mine and the fear associated with encountering another one. Rather than an immediate kill, we aim to create a strategic window of opportunity for players to engage with the enemy.

Lesion's increased resources allow him to exert significant map control very quickly and block attackers' access to the building from very early in the round. Consequently, we've extended the time required to acquire the mines. While this may reduce early-round map control, it ensures Lesion's continued impact in late-game scenarios. He remains a priority target for attackers.

Regarding secondary gadgets, we believe that the GU Mines should be enough for slowing down Ballistic Shields and the Impact Grenades give him too much flexibility. So we are going to change them for the Observation Blocker, which also synergies well with its primary ability providing extra protection.

[h4]HEL PRESENCE REDUCTION[/h4]

• Duration: Increased to 30 seconds (from 20).
  
• Cooldown: Increased to 30 seconds (from 20).

The recent changes to Frag Grenades, along with increased operator access, have had a negative impact on Nokk's presence.

To mitigate this issue while we investigate other solutions to make her more impactful, we will be increasing the duration of the HEL Presence Reduction. This adjustment will allow Nokk to traverse bigger areas more comfortably without being detected in defenders' cameras and catch them by surprise.

[h4]REMAH DASH[/h4]

• Will destroy Deployable and Talon shields. The dash is not interrupted.

We are updating the Remah Dash to improve comfort and consistency. From now on, Deployable Shields and Talon Shields will no longer impede Oryx during the dash; instead, they will be destroyed and he will go through. This adjustment aligns with player expectations, especially considering Oryx's existing ability to pass through Kiba Barriers and Reinforced Barricades.

[h4]R.O.U. PROJECTOR SYSTEM[/h4]

• Max. Resources: Increase to 4 R.O.U. Projectors (from 3).

Despite the numerous improvements to the POF-9 and the additional utility that brings, Sens continues to underperform. We acknowledge the intricacy and skill required to use the R.O.U. Projectors effectively. The unpredictability of bounces can sometime work against you. We hope the new Trajectory Previsualization can help to improve accuracy, but we are going to allocate additional resources to enhance flexibility and provide more opportunities for error correction while we keep investigating new ways to improve it.

________________________________________
[h4]EXPLOSION[/h4]

• Damage: Reduced to 40hp (from 60).
  
• Radius: Reduced to 2 meters (from 3).

[h4]OPERATORS AFFECTED[/h4]

• Azami
  
• Caveira
  
• Clash
  
• Echo
  
• Goyo
  
• Maestro
  
• Melusi
  
• Rook
  
• Valkyrie
  
• Vigil
  
• Wamai

We recognize the growing significance of Impact Grenades over the years. They play a crucial role in site setup, facilitate defenders' swift rotations, aid in clearing attackers utility, deny walls, and even eliminate adversaries. However, we acknowledge their excessive versatility, which prompts us to address their killing potential and wall-denial capabilities.

We have implemented a reduction in damage. As a result, double-impacting an enemy will no longer result in an immediate kill. Also, opponents must be even more damaged to employ a grenade to secure the elimination.

The reduction in explosion radius will yield two key effects:

1. Impact-Tricking countermeasures: Attackers can prevent it by positioning the hard-breach device as close to the ground as possible in additional locations, And defender must be more accurate to do it successfully.

2. Precision requirement for utility clearance: Defenders must exercise greater accuracy when dealing with attackers' utility, such as Airjabs and Claymores. This adjustment allows attackers to place more reliance on this type of gadgets and experiment with unexpected placements.

Our intention is to promote the use of the right tool in the right situation, rather than relying solely on something that can serve multiple purposes. Defenders have other tools at their disposal that can achieve these objectives more effectively. Our final goal is to enhance tactical gameplay and reward the correct decision-making in every match.

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[h4]GUARD BREAK[/h4]

• Explosion: Trigger threshold reduced to 30 damage (from 50).

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Blitz
  
• Fuze
  
• Montagne
  
• Clash

Our goal is to ensure that the Impact Grenades remain effective counters against Ballistic Shields. Because of the recent damage change, we find it necessary to adjust the threshold for breaking a shield owner's guard.

The guard break system relies on the damage received, and it's important to note that no other explosives have undergone alterations. Consequently, other explosive devices will now create larger openings than before.

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In Y9S1 and beyond, we'll continue to update the Reputation System Beta to ensure its accuracy before any Standing Impacts go live.

This season, we've made several changes to the Reputation System. In this article, we'll share more on what these changes mean and how we plan to continue improving this system.

Following the Y9S1 release, it became clear that certain aspects of the Reputation System were not working as intended. Our teams gathered and analyzed player feedback while completing internal investigations, leading us to identify issues affecting the player experience.

We found that players were receiving communication penalties at a higher rate than expected. In response to this, a decision was made to disable the voice chat and written chat penalties. These communication penalties will remain disabled until we can implement further levers to ensure that all penalties given are fair, while also providing players a clear path to improvement.

On consoles, we were made aware of another issue which led to increased voice chat reports being visible in the Reputation Center. We also found that in some cases, misconduct such as Griefing or Voice Abuse was incorrectly labeled as "Excessive" in the Reputation Centre. A fix was released addressing these on March 21st.

After season launch, we became aware of an issue affecting the speed at which Commendations would be reflected in a player's Standing, resulting in lower Standings for many players. Commendations are now affecting Standings promptly and correctly.

With the launch of Y9S1, we implemented our latest balancing update for the Reputation System. Here we used the built-in weights and levers to better define the attainment of each Standing, aligning more closely with our intentions. The five bracket Standings were also redefined to provide more meaning to each of them.

The aim behind system balancing is to ensure that your Standing mirrors your actions. Right now, many players will find themselves in the Respectable bracket. Being in Respectable is a great place to be and should be the aim; it means you're the core of the Siege community, you're not detracting from others' experiences, and you're playing with care, making Siege enjoyable for players around you. Some players with consistent positive behavior might also enter the Esteemed and Exemplary brackets, but maintaining these can be more challenging.

Looking at the two lower brackets, falling into Disruptive doesn't necessarily mean your behavior is always negative, but it does indicate that you're not playing to the Siege ideals overall. With some effort, the Respectable Standing can be achieved. However, if a player finds themselves in Dishonorable, it means there are clear negative trends. In these cases, players need to adjust their behavior and remain consistent to improve their Standing and experience for the community's benefit.

We've learned a lot since the Reputation System entered, in Y8S4, in its grace period and we're continuing to integrate those learnings to ensure that the Reputation System is fair, resilient, and understandable for all players.

We are currently making progress in incorporating protections that make a player's Standing more robust, going beyond reacting to player reports, and instead using additional factors. These improvements are directly driven by the feedback you have shared with us.

Our work continues so that we can develop further levers that will enable us to reactivate the communication penalties. We want to ensure that our system applies penalties only where necessary, and that players have a full understanding and trust in the Reputation System.

Thanks to your feedback, it's became clear that large changes are needed in order for the Reputation System to meet the requirements that we've set. With this in mind, Impacts based on your Standing will be no longer be introduced in Y9S2 and will instead come in a later season. Consequently, as the Reputation System will not see its full release in the coming season, it will remain in Beta for now.

We'll be sharing more information soon on when you can expect to see Impacts and the full release of the Reputation System. The deployment of Impacts will also be announced ahead of time so that players can be prepared. Once this feature does go live, we'll be monitoring the system closely and listening to your feedback on the update.

The Reputation System will continue to retain its Beta status, reflecting its current form as we continue to make improvements and collect further feedback. Our priority will be to ensure that everyone is confident in the state of the Reputation System as we focus on reducing toxicity and making Siege a fun and enjoyable game for everyone.

We aim to continue to provide transparency and responsiveness around this system, and as we move forward, we want to keep hearing about your experiences. We're always listening as we work to provide a safe community.