The third in-game season for Year 6 starts today, as the free Crystal Guard update brings with it a new operator and three new map reworks on Coastline, Bank, and Clubhouse amongst other changes.
All of these additions were revealed three week's ago during the Six Mexico Major panel and can be read about in complete detail in our dedicated rundown article here.
As well as these additions, the season does bring with it a number of smaller but key changes that may have flown under the radar.
Let's take a quick look at these changes that are bound to make a key difference in the three months to come.
Stun Grenades
Flashes will now affect everyone within a certain range of them even if they turn away, however, the distance to the flash and the player’s orientation will change the flash’s length meaning there’s still a reason to react to them.
This change impacts Ying's Candela and Blitz's Shield, as well as the Stun Grenades available on a number of operators. This is designed to make the flashes more of a viable and reliable option to bring meaning we will likely see them used more often on entry operators.
Twitch
Twitch now uses a standard drone during the preparation phase rather than her Shock Drone. When she spawns in she then gets her two additional Shock Drone to use which is already an initial buff compared to the two she usually has.
These two drones can now also jump and destroy gadgets in a single shot rather than just disabling them making them a much more effective utility clear device.
IQ
IQ can now ping all gadgets such as Jager’s ADS’ and Kaid’s Electroclaws through walls using her gadget. This makes her much more useful at portraying information, especially at lower levels and in teams that lack communication.
Fuze
Fuze can attach his Cluster Charge gadget to reinforced walls. After a short delay the grenades then shoot out as normal.
This change should make Fuze a viable operator as, with some coordination, it should be able to clear defenders out of entrenched locations and stop any Kaid or Bandit-tricks being used.
Mute
Mute’s Signal Disruptor’s range is a sphere rather than a cylinder changing how much of a wall it covers.
This means a single Mute no longer covers a double wall giving both Fuze and Ace a much easier way in which forces a Kaid or Bandit to be used instead. This moves Mute to more of a drone denial role rather than it having the ability to deny all gadgets well.
Armor Changes
The way each operator’s armor level impacts the game is changing as three-armour operators now start with 125 HP, two-armor operators have 110 HP, and one-armor operators have stuck with the standard 100 HP.
This is just a way to simplify the mechanic and make it more obvious for all players the differences between each level.
Smaller Changes
Firstly, the player who downs an enemy will now be credited with the kill rather than a teammate who kills the injured enemy. The player who finished off the kill will be credited with an assist instead.
Next up, the rim lighting feature has been added which gives a slight glow to the outline of opponents to eliminate some of the advantage that camouflaged uniforms give.
Thirdly, each weapon type now has a consistent range of drop-off and ammo count. This means one Assault Rifle won’t have considerably more bullets than another.
Lastly, screen shake has been reduced from explosions and completely removed for Ela’s mines, Zofia’s concussions, Echo’s Yokai bursts and Nomad’s Airjabs.
Weapon & Gadget Balances
Below are the key loadout changes coming with this patch:
- Finka -- Frag grenades replace a hard breach charge
- Iana -- G63C loses 2x scope, ARX200 loses 2.5x scope
- Sledge -- Removed SMG-11 Pro players: Sledge will remain “viable” despite SMG-11 loss as long as he does not lose his grenades
- AK-12 (Ace and Fuze) -- Greatly increased vertical and right-leaning recoil
- OTs-03 (Glaz) -- Increased magazine size from 10 to 15
- Silencers -- All weapons excluding Shotguns has a unified 15% damage drop-off when using a silencer
Crystal Guard, the new operator of Osa, reworked Bank, Coastline and Club House and all the changes mentioned above release today, while Stage 3 of R6 Global Circuit starts tonight with the kick-off of the NA League.
Check back here at SiegeGG for further details on future updates and the upcoming games when they come.