Flores is equipped with four RCE RATERO charges, and although it works similar to a recon drone, there are some differences. When deployed, it accelerates constantly and cannot be slowed down or stopped. They also have a timer of ten seconds, so they must be driven quickly to the target before it explodes. During travel time, the RCE is vulnerable to interference, electricity, and enemy fire, but when the fuse shuts off – either after the timer is off or when turned on manually – the device becomes bulletproof and anchors it seconds before it explodes. The blast will not break down fortified walls, but it will destroy any defense apparatus and kill operators. It can even jump, which means you can bypass bulletproof shields and reach gadgets in higher places.
On equipment, Flores can use the AR33 or SR-25 rifles and have the GSH-18 pistol. For secondary items he can choose from shock grenades or clay maker.
Speaking of equipment, Crimson Heist launches a brand new attacker weapon: the Gonne-6. This one-shot pistol fires an explosive round that will destroy any bulletproof defensive equipment. You only get one bullet, so it should be used wisely, but it can help overcome the clear advantage that defenders currently have.
The card that comes with Crimson Heist is an adaptation of Border, the very first DLC card Siege ever had. This is not a big change, but is similar to the work done at Clubhouse. Striking is the slight rearrangement of Armory Lockers and the expansion of the bathroom to give it a wider defensive area and provide a turning opportunity in the second bomb yard.
In minor adjustments, a new pulsating proximity alert has been added to the HUD as attacking drones approach a Mozzie PEST device. The rookie playlist has been revamped with Border, Oregon, Clubhouse, Cafe, Coastline and Bank spinning, and their game schedules are the same as the rankings. There’s also a new Streamer mode, designed to prevent torrent attacks by hiding important information and delaying your match at a random time. This should make it so that snipers are less likely to make a spreader that targets them.
It all comes in season 1, but there are many more planned to drop during the year. As always, new entrepreneurs are the biggest draw, and there will be one new operator every season this year. The big news here is that the Year Pass has been retired, and that new operators are now the first tier of the premium Battle Pass. Of course, they can still be purchased with a well-known name, but Battle Pass owners have two weeks access before non-pass owners.
After Flores, the Nakoda Native American is the next operator. Season 3 introduces a Croation operator, and season 4 adds an Irish operator.No new cards are planned for year 6, and reworking will remain the norm. After reworking Border in Season 1, Season 2 will rework Favella, which will stay in the comfortable card pool and not achieve ratings. Season 3 does not include large map processing, but offers smaller tweaks for different maps. Season 4 will rework Outback.
As set out in Year 5, all seasons will also offer a special occasion, as well as new arcade modes and core changes in play. This year, the changes focus on making attackers stronger and combating the problematic ’20 -second meta ‘at high game levels. Instead of annoying defenders, attackers will make a variety of changes to strengthen their position. It starts with the addition of the Gonne 6 side arm in season 1.
There are also major changes going on in the planning and support phases to ensure that players always have to do something fascinating in all phases of the game. Attackers will be able to change their choice of operators during the planning phase so that they can respond to what they find during drone investigators. For example, if you see a lot of electronic devices, it may prompt a player to switch to Thatcher. It will also encourage players to use the phase to investigate the location, rather than sending their drone back to their operator.
During the Support phase, after they die, both defensive and attacking operators can access and use their deployed devices. If an attacker still has a drone on the map, they can drive it around, while a defender like a Maestro can still use their Evil Eye laser. This will help keep players engaged after death.
Operator statistics are reviewed to make them clearer. Each operator’s armor stats will be changed to ‘health’, and will be represented by their HP instead of an invisible buff. Operators with low health care will have 100 health care, and medium and high health operators will be pushed by 20 and 40 HP respectively.Some pretty important reworkings are coming to three entrepreneurs. Goyo has his bulletproof shields taken away; instead, he will deploy burning charges on floors or walls. It will still provide the skill for denying the area without being too harsh on attacking attackers. Mira and Maestro both get the same change; the glass in their apparatus can be shattered by attackers, obstructing vision. The Black Mirror / Evil Eye must be opened to provide sight lines again.
A new customization system is available for Elite Operator skins, allowing you to mix and match headgear, uniforms and victory dances. Speaking of skins, former Capcom designer Ikumi Nakamura has designed eight new skins for a selection of operators, including spookier looks for Dokkaebi, Echo and Hibanna. There is also a Resident Evil Jill Valentine skin for Zofia.
As for IP crossovers, Ubisoft has also teased something with Rick and Morty, but will not say exactly what it will be.
Connection and DDoS defense enhancements are also planned to ensure a smooth experience. The overall size of the game installation is also reduced to ensure that Siege can be held on hard disks without enlarging too much space.
In addition to all this, a visual presentation of the game will be presented; a new logo, artwork, color palette and menu design refreshes the feel of the game and places the emphasis on the operators.
All of these changes will take effect throughout the year. It should be noted that this is the first time that the Technical Test Server is first hit on a computer and that it may live there for a long time, as Ubisoft wants to ensure that the changes are correct before using it in the main game . Some changes may not be graded to the main servers.
Watch for more Rainbow Six Siege, check out the game developers who respond to our designers from our operators, and our documentary about making Rainbow Six Siege.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s British news and entertainment writer.