In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, operator reworks are always a challenge. Transforming the gadget to make it more useful but not overpowered while keeping its essence could probably be harder than releasing a brand-new operator.
- Read more: When is the next Rainbow Six Siege season?
However, operator reworks are necessary. The first operator rework was Tachanka, and, in Operation New Blood, Ubisoft brought back the concept to change Rainbow Six Siege's iconic Recruit to Striker and Sentry.
In Operation Collision Point, the fourth and last season of Year 9, Ubisoft unveiled Blackbeard's rework as the American attacker has been transformed into a shield operator.
Although the timing may not be the best as Ubisoft is also releasing a shield nerf in Year 9 Season 4, Blackbeard's new update will elevate his position in the meta.
Keep on reading to know more about Blackbeard's rework and how his shield works!
Blackbeard's shield
Blackbeard's shield is now known as the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield. Although this shield is similar to Montagne's Le Roc Shield, Blackbeard can't extend it to fully protect himself against defenders.
As in any other shield in Rainbow Six Siege, Blackbeard can use the free look feature and throw his fragmentation grenades while the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield is equipped. When planting, Blackbeard will place his shield on his back, giving him extra protection against defenders.
Breaching
What makes the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield special is its breaching potential. Similarly to Oryx's Remah Dash, Blackbeard's shield can be used to breach destructible surfaces. After doing so, Blackbeard will be concussed for two seconds.
Blackbeard's shield holds four breaching charges which can't only be used to breach through walls but also to destroy defensive gadgets, including:
- Standard barricades
- Castle barricades
- Azami's Kiba Barriers
Therefore, Blackbeard is a useful operator to create a clear path to the site for the rest of the attackers. We will probably see the American operator leading the attacking team, gathering information with the use of yellow pings and applying pressure to the defenders.
Aiming
Although Blackbeard will keep his primary weapons, he will not be able to shoot them while the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield is extended. To shoot, he will have to put his shield away, which will leave Blackbeard's head exposed.
Rappelling
Blackbeard will be able to use his shield while rappelling. This will give him extra cover while looking inside the site. However, as mentioned above, Blackbeard will have to put his shield aside to shoot his primary weapon.
Blackbeard's loadout
Blackbeard's loadout will be tweaked in Operation Collision Point. While the attacker will keep his primary weapons (the MK17 CQB Assault Rifle and the SR-25 Marksman Rifle) he will lose the D-50. In other words, he will be the first operator to be able to equip a shield and a rifle at the same time.
It's also worth mentioning that Blackbeard's MK17 CQB has received a small buff: the weapon will deliver 44 HP (from 40) and its magazine will contain 25 bullets (from 20).
Last but not least, Blackbeard is losing his flashing grenades. Considering that he will have a shield starting with Operation Collision Point, giving him access to flashing grenades would have been too much.
Will Blackbeard be too strong in Operation Collision Point?
After trying out Blackbeard on Operation Collision Point's Test Server, William "Spoit" Löfstedt's video of him playing Blackbeard has scared some people: Blackbeard feels OP now.
Blackbeard's low ADS time combined with the fact he owns a shield will surely make him one of the most dangerous operators when being played by a Blackbeard main. In other words, despite the recent shield nerf, the shield meta is still well-alive.
However, much can change still as Operation Collision Point will be released on December 3. Until then, it's hard to say if Blackbeard is broken or not, as tweaks could be made to balance him.