Flores is equipped with four RCE-RATERO charges and, although they work similarly to a reconnaissance drone, there are some differences. When implanted, they accelerate continuously and cannot be slowed or stopped. They also have a 10-second timer, so they must be aimed at the target quickly before it explodes. During travel time, the RCE is vulnerable to blockers, electricity and enemy fire, but when the fuse goes off – after the timer has slowed or when started manually – the device becomes bulletproof and anchors in place for a few seconds before detonation. The explosion will not break through reinforced walls, but it will destroy any defending device and kill operators, so it is an effective cleaning tool. It can even jump, which means that you can bypass bulletproof shields and reach taller devices.
In the equipment, Flores can use both the AR33 and the SR-25, and has the GSH-18 pistol. For secondary devices, he can choose stunning grenades or claymore.
Speaking of equipment, Crimson Heist presents a new attack weapon: the Gonne-6. This single-shot pistol fires an explosive round that will destroy all bulletproof defense devices. You only get one bullet, so it needs to be used wisely, but it can help overcome the distinct advantage that defenders currently have.
The map that comes with Crimson Heist is a rework of Border, the first DLC map Siege has ever had. It is not a big change, but it is similar in approach to the rework done at the Clubhouse. Notable is the slight rearrangement of Armory Lockers and the expansion of the bathroom to allow for a wider defense zone and provide an opportunity for rotation to the location of the second bomb.
In minor adjustments, a new pulsating proximity alert was added to the HUD when attacking drones approach a Mozzie PEST device. The Newcomer Playlist has been revamped with Border, Oregon, Clubhouse, Kafe, Coastline and Bank in rotation, and their playing times changed to match the qualifiers. There is also a new Streamer Mode, designed to prevent sniping attacks in the stream, hiding important information and delaying the formation of matches for a random period of time. This should make stream snipers less likely to be combined with a streamer that they aim for.
This will all happen in season 1, but there is much more planned to happen throughout the year. As always, new traders are the big draw and there will be a new trader each season this year. The great news here is that the Year Pass has been withdrawn and new entrants are now the first level of the premium Battle Pass. They can, of course, still be purchased with renown, but Battle Pass owners will have access for two weeks before those without a pass.
After Flores, the next operator will be a Native American Nakoda. Season 3 will introduce a Croation operator and Season 4 will include an Irish operator.No new maps are planned for year 6 and rework will remain the norm. After Border’s rework in season 1, season 2 will rework Favella, who will remain in the casual map pool and will not be graded for classified. Season 3 will not feature any major map rework, but instead will provide minor adjustments to a variety of maps. Season 4 will rework Outback.
As established in Year 5, every season will also offer a special event, as well as new arcade modes and major game feature changes. This year, the changes are focused on making attackers stronger and tackling the problematic ’20 -second goal ‘at high levels of play. Rather than nerfing defenders, a variety of changes will be made to attackers to help strengthen their position. This starts with the addition of the Gonne-6 weapon in Season 1.
There are also important changes to what can be done in the planning and support phases, to help ensure that players always have something engaging to do at all stages of the game. Attackers will be able to change the operator’s choice during the planning phase, allowing them to react to what they find during drone trackers. Seeing many electronic devices, for example, can tell a player to switch to Thatcher. This will also encourage players to use the stage to explore the site, rather than just taking the drone back to the operator.
During the after-death support phase, defense and attack operators will be able to access and use their implanted devices. If an attacker still has a drone on the map, he will be able to drive it, while a defender like a Maestro will still be able to use his Evil Eye laser. This will help keep players engaged after death.
Operator statistics are being revised to make them clearer. The armor stats for each operator will be changed to ‘health’, and this will be represented by your HP instead of an invisible buff. Low health operators will have 100 health units and medium and high health operators will have 20 and 40 HP respectively.Some very important rework is reaching three operators. Goyo is having his bulletproof shields with explosive traps removed; instead, it will deploy incendiary charges on floors or walls. This will still provide the area denial ability without being too severe in attacking operators. Mira and Maestro are receiving the same change; the glass on your devices can be broken by attackers, which will obstruct the view. The Black Mirror / Evil Eye will need to be opened to provide lines of sight again.
A new customization system is coming for Elite operator skins, which allows you to mix and match hats, uniforms and victory dances. Speaking of skins, veteran former Capcom designer Ikumi Nakamura designed eight new skins for a selection of operators, including scariest looks for Dokkaebi, Echo and Hibanna. There is also a Resident Evil Jill Valentine skin coming to Zofia.
On the subject of IP crossovers, Ubisoft also did something to do with Rick and Morty, but it won’t say exactly what it will be.
There are also improvements in connectivity and defense against DDoS planned to ensure a smooth experience. The overall size of the game’s installation is also being reduced to ensure that Siege can be kept on hard drives without taking up too much space.
Parallel to all this, there will be a review of the visual presentation of the game; a new logo, art, color palette and menu design renew the feel of the game and place an emphasis on operators.
All of these changes will be implemented throughout the year. It should be noted that they will all arrive at the Technical Test Server on the PC first and can remain there for a long period of time, as Ubisoft wants to ensure that the changes are correct before deploying them to the main game. Some changes may not be transferred to the main servers.
For more Rainbow Six Siege, be sure to check out the game developers reacting to the designs of our operators and our documentary on making Rainbow Six Siege.
Matt Purslow is the UK’s news and entertainment writer for IGN.