On November 17, during the final day of action of the BLAST R6 Major Montreal, Ubisoft fully revealed Operation Collision Point. It will be Rainbow Six Siege's fourth and final season of Year 9.
Only one day after unveiling all of the updates included in Operation Collision Point, Ubisoft has published the Designer's Notes for Y9S4. These included all of the information regarding upcoming operator changes, including a Thunderbird buff that wasn't mentioned during the reveal.
Here's everything that you need to know about the changes!
Blackbeard
Check out our guide for Blackbeard's rework here.
Ubisoft has reworked Blackbeard and the American's new concept will be introduced in Operation Collision Point.
Blackbeard's rework will see the attacker losing his rifle shield. Instead, he will now have a special ballistic shield, the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield. With it, he will be able to do the following:
- Breaching soft walls, Azami's Kiba Barriers, and Castle's barricades through thanks to his ability Breaching Dash. He will have four charges.
- Blackbeard will be able to use the shield while rappeling.
- Blackbeard's shield will be combined with one of his two rifles, the Mk-17 or the SR-25.
Here's what Ubisoft had to say:
We've aligned this new gadget with some changes to the Operator Balance aiming to compensate for his new fast breaching capabilities. Blackbeard will now move slower, as a 1 Speed / 3 Armor Operator. He no longer has access to the D-50, and the Stun grenades have been removed.
We want Blackbeard to fulfill two main roles. As a Rappel Master, he should be able to sit comfortably on rappel behind his shield, watching the enemy and gathering intel. Additionally, he can now use the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield's breaching capabilities to push forward, hunt roamers with the team, and secure a path for the rest of the team.
With this rework, Blackbeard should be used as an intel gatherer and a support for those entries that are looking to make an initial impact.
Shields nerf
Ballistic shields have been severely nerfed in Operation Collision Point. Ubisoft's changes should put this weapon where the designers want it to be. Here's a look at what's changing:
- Melee damage reduced to 0 HP (from 65 HP)
- Suppressive fire will be triggered with five bullets (from ten)
- Suppressive fire's maximum intensity will be reached after twenty bullets (from forty)
- Consecutive guard breaks can stack, which will eventually force the opening of the shield
Additionally, Montagne's shield has received another tweak, as the guard break animation strength when melee'd has been reduced to 20% (from 40%).
Sens
Sens' R.O.U. Projector System has been buffed to make the Belgian operator a better pick in Rainbow Six Siege's current meta. Here are the changes made to the gadget:
- Sens to be able to turn on and off their R.O.U. Projector System
- Thermal view gadgets can't see through R.O.U. Projector System screen
- Sens' number of projectors has been reduced to seven (from ten)
- Reduced the distance in which the wall starts to block vision to 0.75 meters (from 1.15)
Here's what Ubisoft had to say about the changes made to Sens:
We have enhanced the light walls to be resistant to Thermal View devices such as Glaz, Warden, Evil Eyes, and Bulletproof Cameras. This improvement will differentiate the R.O.U. Projectors from regular Smoke Grenades, making Sens the preferred choice for smoke-plants.
Thunderbird
Thunderbird's Kóna Stations have been buffed. Starting from Operation Collision Point, players will not only get a 20 HP boost from the Kóna Station but also a Health Regeneration boost which will get the player's health back to its maximum. However, this buff will disappear if the player is shot.
Additionally, Ubisoft is giving Thunderbird the ITA12S to create rotations and new angles of sight. Overall, he could become a strong pick to compete with Doc.
Ying
Ying's Candelas have been nerfed. Starting from Operation Collision Point, Ying's Candelas will have a two-second delay system that should give defenders enough time to destroy Ying's device — rememberl, Ying's Candelas aren't bulletproof!
According to Ubisoft's Year 9 Season 4 Designer's Notes, this is how Ying's Candelas will work:
- Rolling distance:
- 0 charges: 10 meters
- 1 charge: 7.5 meters
- 2 charges: 5 meters (from 2.6)
- 3 charges: 2.5 meters (from 0)
- Piercing time:
- 0-1 charges: 3 seconds
- 2 charges: 2 second
- 3 charges: 1 second
Stun grenades
Ubisoft is reducing the number of stun grenades given to operators from three to two.
Here's why Ubisoft is making this change and how the team expects this tweak to affect the game's meta:
Reducing the number of Stun Grenades helps minimize the overwhelming effect where defenders are frequently bombarded with flashes, leading to a less enjoyable experience. Overuse of Stun Grenades can create a chaotic environment, overshadowing skill and strategy with volume of utility use. This can make the game feel less tactical and more about who can throw the most grenades rather than who can outsmart and outplay their opponents.
By limiting the availability of Stun Grenades, we aim to encourage more skill-based engagements and strategic play. This change enhances the effectiveness of projectile catchers like Jäger and Wamai. With fewer projectiles in play, they can use their gadgets more efficiently, allowing defenders to maintain control over important areas for longer periods and protect crucial utility without the fear of their gadgets being exhausted too quickly.
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