Summary
Highlights
Welcome to Operation High Stakes, the new season for Rainbow Six Siege. This update introduces a new operator, gadget, and weapon, along with various changes and improvements for both new and veteran players.
Season 3 of Dual Front will feature a new assignment where players breach a Keres safe room using a breaching payload from Dokkaebi. The mission involves downloading information, but entering the room seals off the doorways, requiring creative strategies to regain control. The mode will continue to evolve with new operators and balancing.
Three new maps, NightHaven, Lair, and Consulate, are joining the Modernized pool. These maps feature new lighting, textures, materials, and gameplay-destructible elements. The plan is to modernize three new maps each season.
Concerns about cheating are being addressed with improvements to ShieldGuard, focusing on precision in detection and deployment. The live update system has been enhanced for smoother security rollouts, and AI detection is getting sharper with new data points to reduce false positives. MouseTrap is also being developed to detect recoil tampering, ensuring competitive integrity across all platforms.
Season 3 introduces changes to privacy settings, including automatic nickname assignments for players who opt-in, which disappear at the end of a match for reporting purposes. These settings will also be available for console players. Voice chat protections are being stepped up, with the Reputation system tracking negative reports for toxicity. The goal is to ensure a confident and welcoming environment for using voice communications.
The Esports tab will become more accessible with a new Championship page detailing pro competitions, including participating teams and upcoming matches. A Standings page will allow players to track their favorite teams' progress towards the Six Invitational. Siege Cup will occur every weekend, and players can now inspect squad stats for better preparation.
The foundational audio system is evolving, and feedback is encouraged. Ballistic shield users will be slightly exposed when throwing gadgets, and Blackbeard is receiving five changes, including restrictions on barricade breaking, ADS blocking, shield folding during reload, reduced ammo capacity for Mk17, and one less breach charge. Magnified scopes are being removed from most operators not wielding a DMR or slug shotgun, with Echo receiving a speed boost as compensation.
The Reaper MK2's recoil is being significantly improved and will be re-issued to Ying, Oryx, Pulse, and Sledge. Recruits are also getting new weapon options, with Striker receiving the SR-25 and Sentry receiving the TCSG12.
Denari is the new Swiss defender operator joining NightHaven, designed for area denial and time wasting. His gadget, the T.R.I.P Connectors, create visible and loud laser connections between two points, inflicting damage and slowing attackers. They also disrupt shield operators. Denari starts with seven interconnected T.R.I.P Connectors, encouraging creative placement for map control.
Denari's weapon choices include the Scorpion EVO 3 and FMG-9. A new secondary weapon, the Glaive-12, is introduced as the first secondary slug shotgun, offering high damage and utility for creating sightlines. Denari also brings a Deployable Shield and Observation Blockers. With 3 speed and 1 health, he can roam effectively. He synergizes well with operators like Jäger, Wamai, Mute, Mozzie, Azami, Goyo, Smoke, Thorn, and Tachanka for enhanced defense and denial.
Attackers can counter Denari using IQ to scan T.R.I.P Connectors, and Twitch, Zero, or Brava to clear them. EMPs are effective against clustered connectors. Denari's kit rewards smart setups and deep map knowledge, opening up creative plays and impacting the meta by forcing attackers to use more utility like Twitch and Brava drones, which in turn encourages defenders to pick operators like Mute, Mozzie, Jäger, and Wamai.
Operation High Stakes is a season of reaction based on player feedback. The test server will be available on August 18th, and the full season launches on September 2nd. More details will be provided in upcoming designer notes and patch notes.