Rainbow Six Siege is getting both a brand new battle pass system and an operator with a grappling hook.
First came loot boxes (or "surprise mechanics") that enticed players to keep playing with the chance at a reward. But lately, that strategy is coming under fire for essentially using gambling to keep players at the table. Gambling has a lot of laws surrounding it and this has led legislators to take a closer look at the multi-billion dollar gaming industry.
Nobody likes being under government scrutiny, so the new hotness in gaming is the Battle Pass. Instead of a random chance to get what you want, there are set rewards at tiered progression. Players are incentivized to play a reasonable amount and maybe spend a little cash along the way (or a lot of cash, in some instances).
Rainbow Six Siege is getting in on the Battle Pass action with a pair of brand new passes. The first comes with Operation Ember Rise and is called "Call Me Harry." It's a mini Battle Pass that lasts 7 days and has 7 tiers. This first one is completely free and you unlock cosmetic charms on days 2, 4, 6, and 7, culminating with the Harry Chibi Charm.
The second Battle Pass will be monetized and begins with Season 4 this November. There will basically be two Battle Passes going at the same time: a free one and a paid one. The paid one will give you all the same loot as the free one, but with a few added extras. Both Battle Passes will provide cinematic sequences that will explore the lore of Rainbow Six Siege and its operators.
Also with Ember Rise comes two new operators, and since Amaru has a grappling hook, we’re gonna talk about her first. The Garra grappling hook allows Amaru to climb to the tops of buildings and swing in through windows, with any enemies too close getting cut up by the flying glass and Amaru’s boot.
Our second operator is Goyo, who is a defender with a big shield. Attached to that shield is an incendiary grenade that can explode to deal fire damage to everyone close by.
We’ll get more info on the Battle Pass system with Season 4, while Boy and Amaru arrive with Ember Rise along with a rework of the Kanal map.