Rainbow Six: Siege’s new operation just set sail. Operation Shifting Tides is live on all platforms.
Ubisoft released the final version of the patch notes today to complement the preseason designer notes. The latter outlined most balancing changes for the update and the latest update brings a more polished version of what’s been seen in the Test Server.
Here’s everything that’s new in Shifting Tides.
New operators
Shifting Tides marks the debut of private company Nighthaven, with two of its agents making their way into Siege. Its founder, Kali, and soldier Wamai are the two new characters ushered in by the op.
Kali uses a heavy-hitting CSRX 300 marksman rifle, which can incapacitate enemies with a single shot. Her unique gadget is the LV Explosive Lance. It lodges itself in reinforced walls and hatchets and causes a small explosion that’s enough to bust any defending gadgets in its radius.
Wamai’s unique gadget, the Mag-NET, is a different take on Jäger’s ADS. Instead of negating grenades altogether, the Mag-NET attracts the projectile to its location, resets its fuse, and then detonates. Like Lesion’s Gu Mines, Wamai’s inventory is replenished over time. The operator can carry the AUG A2 assault rifle or the MP5K.
Theme Park rework
Ubisoft recrafted the Theme Park map with a few massive changes. The locale was modified to mitigate spawn peeking by constricting lines of sight. A few areas from the map are missing: The entire Rail Platform, including Rail Overlook, Lift Car, and their ramps, was removed. The company decided to get rid of train and remodeled some of the areas around the map.
New mechanics
Shifting Tides ushered two new game mechanics: limb penetration and rappel exit.
Flashbanged characters previously placed their hands in front of their eyes as an animation. It effectively negated headshots, turning them into body shots instead. The new limb penetration system will allow weapons to penetrate body parts and the more potent weapons can even shoot through more than one character.
Rappel exit is a fairly minor tweak. In the old system, characters automatically left rappel mode when they were too close to the edge. With the new operation, leaving rappel will now require player input. You need to actively confirm that you want to stop rappelling, which can come in handy for those situations when you’re looking to get to a specific sweet spot.
Jackal rebalanced
Jackal saw a considerable amount of bans and his bloodhound tracking skills made him a solid pick against roamers. Ubisoft pushed some balancing changes to the character. The number of pings he gets from his unique gadget will depend on the age of the footprint. His breaching charge also gave way to the Claymore mine and he can “no longer either see or scan prints from below.”
Operator Balancing
Jackal wasn’t the only character affected by Shifting Tides. His rework was the most thorough and intricate of the changes, but other operators also saw tweaks to increase their viability.
Kaid’s electroclaws were hugely buffed. Their radius nearly doubled, from 0.75m to 1.3m. The change allows him to electrify more than two walls with one claw, if aimed properly.
Russian sniper Glaz was also buffed. Though usually considered a situational pick, the changes increased the visibility of his highlighted targets when the scope has low battery, and boosted his scope’s usefulness.
Warden’s kit was changed to include a C4 rather than a barbed wire. Ubisoft said it was “considering other options to make sure Warden is relevant,” but that they would come in another operation.
Operator price decrease
Players who were looking to buy a new operator could be in luck. The new update downgraded the cost of a handful of operators by 5,000 Renown. Hibana and Echo will now cost 10,000 Renown. Vigil and Zofia can be purchased for 15,000 Renown, while Nomad and Kaid’s prices were decreased to 20,000 Renown.
More skins
Capitão now has an Elite skin. The cosmetic is a throwback to the operator’s past and shows a much younger version of him, rocking a head full of hair. The visual is aptly named “Responsa,” a somewhat old Brazilian slang term that can be loosely translated as “cool” or “righteous.”
The new operation also added two seasonal skins that can be applied to any weapon. The visuals are a nod to Kali and Wamai’s origins. The Virtual Palace skin is inspired by Kali’s home country of India and the Vessel Wave visual reflects Wamai’s time in the Kenyan Navy.
Bug fixes
Shifting Tides’ time on the Test Server allowed the developers to fix most of the bugs and inconsistencies with interactions. Capitão’s Fire Bolts, for instance, would have no effect if they got caught in Wamai’s Mag-NET.
The update also fixed a series of performance issues, including long freezes after the loading screen and crashing when picking up an electrified deployable shield or when firing Maestro’s Evil Eye in PvE.
This article was updated after the final patch notes were released.
