Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 roadmap: newcomer playlist, casual changes, new events, map reworks and more
Ubisoft has some big plans for Rainbow Six Siege in its fourth year.
At the Six Invitational, Ubisoft revealed some of the exciting updates coming to Rainbow Six Siege this year. This all starts with operation Burnt Horizon, which adds a new map, and two new operators.
But much more is in store for Year 4, and Ubisoft has detailed it all in a new developer diary. To start with, the developer confirmed the nationality of the remaining Year 4 operators, coming in seasons two, three, and four. Unlike Burnt Horizon, however, none of them are bringing new maps.
Instead, all remaining seasons in Year 4 will come with reworks of existing maps. Season two adds an American, and Danish operators, along with a Kafe rework. Season three expands the roster with operators from Mexico, and Peru and updates the Kanal map. Finally, season four has Kenyan, and Indian operators, and a Theme Park rework.
Beyond that, this year will expand Rainbow Six Siege is several major areas. First, Ubisoft is splitting the game's development team into dedicated "cells" that each have one responsibility. One team will work on operators and balance, another on events, a third on player behaviour and toxicity, and a fourth dedicated to maintaining and updating the game's playlists.
Ubisoft wants to invest more in limited-time events, using them to explore new mechanics and themes. Though no specific details were mentioned, the team is likely looking at the success of last year's Outbreak co-op mode to inform future content in that space.
Debuting with the new season one operators will be a new anti-team killing system that reflects damage done to teammates onto the offender. This is part of the work the dedicated community team will be implementing over the course of the coming months, with more features and initiatives like this planned.
The developer is also looking to improve the on-boarding experience for new players. A first step towards that goal is the introduction of a newcomer playlist designed for players below level 50. The playlist will only feature the Bomb game mode, and will be limited to just three maps: Bank, Consulate, and Chalet. The idea is to create a safer environment for inexperienced players to experiment with and learn the game before they're ready to jump into casual, or ranked.
What's more, casual is also getting updated. The action phase will now last three minutes and thirty seconds instead of four. The new casual will also allow attackers to pick their spawn points - just like in ranked. As for defenders, they'll know exactly which spot they're going to be defending before the round starts, so they can more easily pick the right operators.
For ranked, the limited-time pick and ban system, which has proven very popular, will be a permanent option. This will be deployed with the start of season two.