The Designer Notes for Year 8 Season 4 – Operation Deep Freeze of Rainbow Six: Siege has finally come out and let me tell you, the changes are not light. Let's break down some of the most impactful changes coming to Rainbow Six in Y8S4.
Frag Grenade Changes
- Fuse system: Removed ability to cook the grenade. Added fuse time reduction after the first bounce.
- Initial fuse time: 4 seconds (from 5).
- Reduced fuse time: 2 seconds.
Ubisoft has deemed the beloved fragmentation grenades as too powerful and has decided to smite grenades with the nerf hammer. Starting in Operation Deep Freeze, players will no longer be able to time grenade explosions by holding onto them, commonly known as “cooking” grenades. In exchange for this nerf, grenades will now be more widely available as IQ, Lion, Sens, Osa, and Blackbeard will now have Frag Grenades available to them.
Mira Nerf
- The bulletproof glass will be shattered if a Drilling Projectile explodes successfully after drilling into it.
- This change affects all bulletproof glass: Black Mirror Window, Evil Eye, Talon Shield, Bulletproof Camera, Deployable Shield.
Mira is and always will be one of the most impactful operators in Rainbow Six: Siege and to be frank, I do not think this nerf is really gonna change that very much in Y8S4 especially since the drilling projectiles in question, Kali and Ash, are on the lower end of attacker pick rates. It is definitely a nerf for sure but I do not expect Mira's pick rate or usefulness to be affected very much.
Maestro Buff
- Main Ability: 3 Evil Eyes (from 2)
- Battery: 6 seconds (from 5)
- Overheat: 6 seconds (from 5)
Finally, the charming Italian anchor receives some love. It is no secret that Maestro has fallen a little below the radar in recent years as more and more defenders continue to get added to the game. A third Evil Eye is definitely going to make Maestro more useful, expanding his control of the map and making it more difficult for attackers to destroy all of them are both huge boons to Maestro's utility. Is one extra Evil Eye going to thrust him back into the spotlight? I'm not sure. One thing is for sure though, being only one of two LMGs on defense still guarantees him a place in many players' hearts.
552 Commando Nerf
- Damage: 43hp (from 47).
- Stronger vertical and horizontal recoil.
In an effort to buff Grim into viability, Ubisoft essentially turned the 552 Commando into a laser beam killing machine, and now that IQ is about to get grenades, it looks like it's time to backtrack on those buffs. 43 damage per bullet is still on the high-end, even for assault rifles, virtually guaranteeing a down-but-not-out on anyone without rook armor. That being said, now that Grim is in a good place and IQ is about to get frag grenades, is this 552 Commando Nerf going to undo all the work that's been put in to balance these two operators?
Map Pool Changes
Last but not least, it is time to update the map pools. Starting in Y8S4 of Rainbow Six, both Standard and Ranked Map Pools are going to be synchronized from now on.
Quick Match Map Pool Update
ADDED:
- Hereford Base
- Plane
- Presidential Plane
- Yacht
- Fortress
- Emerald Plains
- Stadium
- NightHaven
- Lair
Standard and Ranked Synced Map Pool:
- Oregon
- Club House
- Consulate
- Bank
- Kanal
- Chalet
- Kafe Dostoyevsky
- Border
- Skyscraper
- Coastline
- Themepark
- Villa
- Outback
- Emerald Plains
- NightHaven
- Lair
Which change was most surprising to you? What do you think of the Rainbow Six Designer Notes? Are you excited for Operation Deep Freeze Y8S4?
Here's a list of all the changes coming to Rainbow Six: Siege Y8S4 in Operation Deep Freeze including the new map Lair and the new operator Tubarão. You can also read the full Deep Freeze Design Notes for yourself. This can help if there are some details that you want to clarify for yourself. For more news and updates on all things gaming, stick with ClutchPoints Gaming.
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