Developer and publisher Ubisost shared more information about Operation High Calibre, ready to make an impact on FPS Rainbow Six Siege. Discover all the new features including the new operator Thorn, her new weapon and many more. Get ready to jump in the new reworked Outback map and use the best of your talent thanks to the new HUD.
Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical first-person shooter created and developed by Ubisoft. The game was released in 2015 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and announced for PlayStation 5 in 2020. In 2021, the game launched cross-play between all platforms, allowing players to band together regardless of which platform the game is tied to. The game features tense battles between assault squads and defenders in a confined space, taking place in multi-leveled locations.
High Calibre is the fourth season of Year 6, introducing Team Colors, Bulletproof Camera Rework, balance changes and more.
New Defender – Thorn
“Thorn’s inner defenses are strong. But they are, thankfully, far less perilous than her outer ones.”
The update introduces a new Operator, a defense specialist Brianna “Thorn” Skehan. The operative’s badge is a triquetra or Celtic knot, which symbolizes the Holy Trinity in Christianity. It is very common in Ireland.
- Device: Razorbloom Shell.
“Once triggered, Thorn’s Razorbloom Shell gives you just enough time to re-think all your life decisions.” – Dr. Elena “Mira” Álvarez, Director of R&D
The Razorbloom Shell sticks to a surface after it’s thrown by Thorn. Shortly after detecting a nearby opponent, it automatically propels a set of sharp blades in all directions, delivering lethal damage.
- Main weapons: UZK50Gl (new weapon), M870 (Same as Bandit and Jager)
- Additional weapons: 1911 Tacops (Maverick), C75-Auto (Kali and Vigil)
- Additional gadgets: Barbed Wire, Stationary Shield.
Drone Counter
Defenders now have access to a drone counter in the HUD to help them keep track of the number of regular drones they’ve destroyed. This feature can be turned off in the HUD section of the Options menu. The value of the drones counter does not change in the following cases:
- the defenders destroyed a special drone (a device of such operatives as Twitch and Flores);
- The drone was destroyed by players of the Assault round;
- the drone was disabled.
Bulletproof Cameras
- Bulletproof cameras can now be rotated.
- The team added the ability to release an EMP charge that disables navigational devices (drones, mines, Airjab, etc.).
- The first player who gets to the camera will be able to release the charge. Unlike unique operational devices, cameras are not owned by specific players.
(Note that if the glass of the bulletproof chamber is broken, it will not be possible to use it to release an EMP charge).
Balance Changes
- Changes in Valkyrie and Maestro: now their cameras lose signal after 10 seconds of being outside the building. The camera can be picked up up and set it again to continue working.
- You can connect to the camera while it is still in flight, but the image will not start transmitting until it is secured to the surface.
- This change also applies to Argus (Zero) cameras.
Valkyrie
The cameras of the Valkyrie operative and other defenders will now lose signal shortly after being placed outside the buildings. They will not activate until they are secured to the surface, and once activated, the signal will be interrupted after 10 seconds.
This change is introduced to limit the effectiveness of the cameras outside the buildings at the beginning of each round, especially in the case of the Valkyrie operative. Inside buildings, her cameras will still be useful, but thanks to the new restriction, stormtrooper players won’t need to rush any more than necessary. In addition, this change will bring Valkyrie in line with other defenders-they are most effective inside the building they are supposed to protect.
Maestro
Maestro’s allies will be able to rotate the Evil Eye camera until he controls it himself. If Dokkaebi hacks Evil Eye, attacker players will also be able to rotate the camera.
Previously only Maestro could turn the Evil Eye camera, but now this also applies to his allies – until Maestro starts to control the camera himself. Thanks to this change, Evil Eye will be more consistent with the cameras of other operatives, as in the case of Echo, Zero and Valkyrie. Note that if Maestro is eliminated, he will still be able to rotate the Evil Eye cameras, but will not be able to shoot with them.
Echo & Mozzie
“Yokai” and “bots” time outside the building increased to 10 sec (previously – 3).
Previously you could only use “bots” outside the main building for 3 seconds, but that period has been increased to 10 seconds, which will allow you to gather a lot more intelligence. Defenders are now expected to be slightly more active at the beginning of the round, and Echo and Mozzie will become more effective. In addition, the devices with which defenders can monitor the outside of the building will now be more consistent.
Finka
- You can now use Adrenaline Rush when severely wounded.
- Adrenaline Rush no longer reduces weapon recoil.
- Adrenaline Rush recovery time is now 20 seconds (previously 10 seconds).
Support fighters are of little use if they’re knocked out early, and now Finka operatives are more likely to return to action. Previously, Adrenaline Rush only worked on her allies, but now she can use it on herself when seriously wounded. Because of this, Finka will stay in the game longer and be able to get more allies back into combat than before.
Weapon Balancing:
ANGLED GRIP
- The increase to ADS speed provided by the Angled Grip is now 20% less than it was before.
Map Rework: Outback
Outback has received a variety of updates to improve balancing and player comfort. Both the main building and its exterior have been modified to allow Attackers to create and execute more effective strategies. As well, new exterior soft walls have been added to the building, and some areas have been refurbished and cleaned up to remove junk and provide better lines of sight and balance.
- The interior and exterior have been redesigned to allow attack operatives to create and execute more effective strategies.
- New exterior soft walls have been added to the building, and some rooms have been redesigned and cleaned to make unnecessary useless junk and provide better visibility and balance.
- Several new locations have been added to the map: 1F Shop, 1F Compressor, 1F Gear Store, and 1F Beer Fridge have been merged into 1F Bike Repair and 1F Mechanic Shop.
- 2F Office Supplies has gotten bigger and now has an exterior soft wall.
- 2F Terrace is now an interior area that connects the half-floor to Shark and 2F Piano.
- The stairs to 2F Piano have been removed.
- Plants have been moved:
The bombs that were previously in 2F Bedroom and 2F Laundry are now in 2F Laundry and 2F Piano.
Interface Revamp
- The visual effects for the HUD have been updated to be more in line with the artistic direction of the game. A new compass image now displays pings and marker locations, as well as feedback for floor differences.
- Equipment (weapons, gadgets, and unique abilities) has been grouped together to follow more consistent display rules.
- Text action reminders (such as “press [SPACE] to climb”) have been replaced by icons to take up less space.
- The game will now use “Your Team” and “Opponents” instead of “blue” and “orange.
- The default team colors are blue (your team) and red (opponents).
- Players can choose between blue, red, or orange team colors.
