Rainbow Six Siege year 4 season 3 is about to kick off and we already got our hands on it. We played as the two upcoming Operators on the revamped Kanal map. Rainbox Six Siege is a huge deal for Ubisoft and after playing this impressive update, it’s clear that the company will support their game for a very long time to come. Veterans will love the new Operators while newcomers might find a reason to start playing thanks to the new Battle Pass.
Enter Amaru and Goyo
Before we got our hands on the actual game, we were introduced to the new Operators. Amaru from Peru is the new attacker and is armed with a G8A I and Supernova Shotgun, she’s without any doubt the fastest attacker in the game thanks to her Garra-hook. Where other players can easily rappel to the top of a roof or towards open windows, Amaru spices things up with the impressive Garra-hook. With the special hook, she can aim at windows and fire herself into the building in no time. The special hook breaks regular barricades and thanks to her special kick, she will know down enemies who are standing behind the barricaded window. During her presentation, it got clear she’s a force to be reckoned with but nothing really prepared me for my actual time with her.
I’m out of the Rainbow Six Siege scene for quite a while but the revamped gameplay that Amaru offers might be a reason to get back into it for real. She’s an extraordinary fast character who can quickly enter buildings in search of the bomb sides. Playing as Amaru adds a lot of speed to the game and this comes with new strategies. Will you use her to take down enemies as fast as possible? Or will you use her to distract the enemies so your team can easily flank them? Her Garra-hook comes with great powers but it’s also easily countered by the other Operators. A castle barricade makes it impossible to penetrate windows and while she’s dropping inside, she has no access to her gun for a couple of seconds; meaning that if an enemy is waiting at the right window, Amaru can easily be taken out. Also, note that she’s vulnerable for traps so if an enemy placed a trap underneath a window, Amaru might be in trouble.
While playing I noticed Amaru is a fast but vulnerable character due to these counters but that’s where her Shotgun comes in handy. With it, she can shoot weak structures inside buildings, opening room to hook her way to higher floors. This is a first in the game and I’m sure a lot of players will need to adapt to this strategy. Amaru isn’t bound to staircases if she wants to reach higher floors, her weapons easily open her way to the top, of course, it’s a rather loud way to advance but Amaru is all about attacking. I didn’t really get enough time to learn all her tricks but she’s shaping up to become one of the most dangerous Attackers in the game.
On the defender’s side, we find Goyo from Mexico, armed with the Vector .45 ACP and TCSG 12 Shotgun. Goyo also has the ability to place a couple of Volcán-shields on the map. These operate just like regular shields but are armed with a flammable substance. This substance can be shot down, resulting in a wildfire on the map that will damage everyone who comes in contact with it. The fire is extremely deadly and walking into it will easily lead to your death. The tricky part about these shields is the fact that everybody can take it down, a badly placed shield can easily work against you if the Attackers shoot it down.
Goyo played as a more tactical defender due to this and I must say, I enjoyed experimenting with these shields. Just like the regular mobile shields, this new update enables you to lock your shield into doorways, really blocking the path of your opponents. Placing a Volcán-shield in a doorway and shooting it down while enemies are trying to vault over it, results in easy kills for Goyo. What I like most about the character, however, is the fact that it’s an overall great defender. You can place your shields on strategic spots while wandering around afterward. Goyo has access to some powerful weapons so he’s never bound to his shields for protection. You can, for example, use your shields to block a certain entry and flank around your own defenses to take down the enemies one by one. The shields bring a new strategy to the game and it’s really interesting to see how both teammates and even opponents will use the shields to their advantage.
It’s a powerful defense that can easily be countered if placed in a wrong spot. You won’t like hiding behind it when an enemy manages to shoot it down through the ceiling, killing you easily. Powerful rounds from other Attackers can also shoot the shields down easily as they are operating the same way regular shields operate.
Revamped Kanal
Besides the new Operators, the update also comes with some important changes to the Kanal map, one of the game’s favorite maps. This new version of Kanal is better balanced and offers enough room for better strategies, on both sides. During my hands-on session, we only played on this revamped Kanal map and as far as I can tell after a couple of hours, it really looks like the team managed to perfectly balance this new version. The most crucial change is the bridge connecting the West and East building, making it a lot easier to travel between buildings without losing too much time. Besides that, there are fewer windows in objective heavy rooms, the rooftops aren’t as well hidden so walking on top of those will make you a lot more vulnerable and the bombs are located in new rooms.
Discovering everything on the map will take a while since this update comes with a lot of new strategically placed drone entrances, more staircases and generally, more ways to penetrate the building as Attackers. Defenders on the other side are able to truly secure the bomb rooms due to the fact they have to cover fewer windows. This doesn’t mean it got a bit unbalanced for the Attackers. The Defenders can easily defend the bomb but they can never cover every possible entry point at once. This new Kanal feels like the perfect map in the game for some thrilling matches. It’s never easy to take down your opponent and there are thousands of new possibilities and new possible strategies. I can’t wait to see how players will adapt to this map after a couple of hours playing.
But wait, there’s more
Two new Operators and a revamped map aren’t the only new things in Operation Ember Rise. For the first time in the franchise, Ubisoft will introduce a Battle Pass, starting with a free mini version ‘Call me Harry’. This is the first free test of a Battle Test and will automatically be available in Season 3. By collecting Battle Points, players will be able to unlock limited rewards and if they manage to clear the entire phase one, they’ll be granted with a special Harry price. This Battle Pass is the first test and when successful, the real Battle Pass will roll out, including two tracks with one of them being the paid premium track for the rarest unlockables. The reason why Ubisoft is experimenting with Battle Passes is to convince new players to join the fun. By granting them special gear right from the start, the company hopes it’s easier to increase their player base. Time will tell if the Battle Pass is a great fit for the game but I’m convinced it will be a perfect fit.
On top of that also come some other updates including the un-ranked playlist where you fight using the same rules as ranked but without being actually ranked, the perfect playlist if you want to practice your skills without your squad. To give the best players something to fight for, Ubisoft will increase the maximum rank from Diamond to Champions, a new rank only the happy few will be able to reach and last but not least, the company will try to reduce toxic behavior even more. Prematurely leaving the match will cost you a lot more and friendly fire is now stapled to a team instead of one player, meaning you can’t kill a team member twice without paying the price.
All these smaller updates are crucial for the overall feel of the game and they all feel like much needed updates, just like the revamped shop where you can now actually see what you’re buying. Wondering how that new Elite skin looks like on your character? Well in the new shop, you’ll be able to see it. I really appreciate the time and thinking that went into this update and it’s clear that this might be one of the most significant Seasons yet. Don’t hesitate but give this Season a go if you’re still into the game or even if you’re new to it, this might be the perfect starting point!
