Operation Ember Rise, the latest update for Rainbow Six Siege, is set to bring a slew of changes to the highly popular multiplayer game. Ubisoft has recently released the patch notes to the public, giving us a firsthand look at the hundreds of changes coming in the near future. Many of the changes are minor, but there are a few significant adjustments and additions that will impact the game moving forward.
Welcome To The Party, Amaru and Goyo!
The biggest change that will be introduced with Ember Rise is the addition of two new operators; Amaru and Goyo. Amaru is an operator on the Attacking team. She brings with her a useful grappling hook called the Garra Hook. This allows her to latch onto windows and ledges, then quickly reel herself in towards the destination. The Garra Hook is also capable of lifting Amaru though open hatches. These floor hatches weren’t much of an issue in the past; as long as Defenders didn’t walk near them, they were safe from any Attackers below. That is no longer the case. Defenders will now have a real reason to reinforce hatches, otherwise they might turn around and find Amaru sling-shoting through the floor opening.
Goyo, on the Defensive squad, has the unique ability of deploying a Volcan Shield. This shield looks like all other deployable shields but is hiding a fiery secret; an incendiary bomb. Once this bomb is detonated, the shield explodes into a ball of flames. Not only will this cause significant damage to anyone unlucky enough to be nearby, but it effectively stops the Attackers from advancing until the flames subside. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the gameplay. Not knowing if a shield will explode could significantly hinder the Attackers ability to play aggressively.
A New Kanal
The Ember Rise update doesn’t include a new map. Instead, the pre-existing Kanal map has been reworked. This was a long time coming, and players should be pleased with the modifications. The map still consists of two buildings, but a second bridge has been added that connects the buildings together. Ubisoft hopes that this will allow for improved movement across the map, and prevent the bridges from becoming a choke point. A second staircase has also been added to increase the verticality of the map.
Ubisoft not only improved player movement on the map, but they have also moved the bomb sites for the map. According to the patch notes, the bomb in Kitchen as been moved to the Security Room, and the site in the Radio Room is now in the Lounge Room. Ubisoft hopes that these changes will not only make the matches more balanced, but will also prevent spawn-peeking. Kanal was one of the maps most prone to spawn-peeking, so it will be interesting to see if the changes actually work.
Battle Passes, Etc.
Beyond these changes, there will also be a free Battle Pass included in the update called the Mini Battle Pass. As players work through these objectives, they’ll earn Battle Points that unlock new Tiers and rewards. Ubisoft says this is a learning experience for them before they deploy more Battle Passes, so be sure to give any feedback you can.
Unranked Playlists are being added, which follow the same rules as Ranked matches, but don’t impact your ranking. It remains to be seen if this helps curb the community’s toxicity, as it usually stems from ‘serious players’ mocking ‘casual players.’ If these serious players move to the Unranked Playlist to practice, the Casual Playlist might become a more hospitable environment.
Be sure to check out the official patch notes to get the low down on new Map Rotations, Ranks, Player Behavior Updates, the new Operators Menu, and more. There’s no word on when the release will hit the game, but most folks are predicting a launch sometime next month.