September 14, 2016

Rainbow Six: Siege – 4.2 Update

The version code for this update may be 4.2 but maybe it also represents the magnitude its application will shake up Rainbow Six’s current in game meta.  This update brings updates of all kinds that will impact the game in many ways.  It will feature new equipment for defense and offense alike, weapon buffs, new attachments, and even ability revamps!  Its hard to say exactly how the meta will end up when this meta shake up settles but here is what to watch.

In a rainbow first, a mid season update brings new operator gadgets and equipment!  Defense sees the arrival of the “Impact Grenade.” The impact grenade will replace select characters’ inventory items, such as, barbwire and C4 explosives.  Based on the preview of this new gadget the primary function of this grenade will be to open holes in walls and is not made for killing like the C4 has been used for in the past.  We can only speculate on the damage these grenades will deal but based on the holes produced it will be less destructive than the C4 and will blow up upon impact with any object.  Likewise, the offense gets a new tool in their tool box with the addition of the Claymore.  This claymore will flash grenades or other items on select characters and will be used as a stationary trap to try and give the attackers a chance to defend their flank.  Sources have said the claymore is easy to spot with lasers similar to Kapkan pre-patch but pack a deadly punch. The result of these patches I think both will impact the defense drastically by limiting their ability to flank quickly and removing some character’s C4 charges which were useful for stopping attackers in many situations such as through floors.

            A range of weapon tweaks and buffs were also applied in this patch.  Many lesser used weapons received buffs and new attachments to expand the players’ choices when hitting the battlefield.  The most notable change on the defense side is the buff of Mute’s MP5K, which has been widely viewed as an underpowered Marshmallow gun.  Mute’s selection has seen an increase since his ability received a buff but this damage boost may insert Mute into a mainstay position among competitive and casual gamers alike.  On the offense side it is actually a nerf that stands out the most because it was applied to Blackbeard who is widely seen as an overpowered character since his arrival with Operation Dustline.  Blackbeard’s gun will now be harder to control with addition recoil as it was almost non existent previously.

           

You would think that the vast amount of changes with the addition of new equipment and a range of weapon tweaks would be enough of a meta shake up but Ubisoft actually took it one step further and applied multiple changes to characters’ special abilities.  First we have Blackbeard.  Blackbeard already received a weapon nerf but actually had his face shield also re-balanced.  Instead of being able to take 15-20 shots before the shield breaking, it will now only require 3-5 shots to break the shield but he will now have an additional replacement shield available.  This is a much needed re-balance as challenging Blackbeard in a window proved to be an unfair fight that near broke the game in some ways.  Twitch also received a minor update and will now have the ability to carry an additional twitch drone that spawns during the drone phase.  It will be interesting to see if the drone will be used to destroy equipment early on or to hide it for an opportune moment.  It will also receive a buff in speed, range and a reduction in visibility/sound. The final and most notable ability change is to Doc.  Doc’s ability very rarely came in handy during a pro setting but with its new ability I see Doc gradually becoming a must use character in the pro league.  Doc can now heal characters who are not “Down-But-Not-Out” and even himself!  This makes Doc’s ability way more useful and can heal teammates on the fly without having to down them and even over heal them for a limited period of time to give them a boost when going into a gun fight.  It is very exciting to see how he will be used, weather he will horde the extra health for himself.

 

As you can see we have a lot of changes coming to the Rainbow Six: Siege gameplay in the middle of a Pro League season and it will be applied to the game this week!  If all these changes have you excited like us, come join us on the game as we prepare and adapt for our next pro league match after the one-week scheduled ESL break on Monday, September 26th.