Ubisoft breaks down the limb penetration system coming to Rainbow Six Siege

Operation Shifting Tides introduces two exciting operators to Rainbow Six Siege, but the biggest change hitting the game is the inclusion of the new limb penetration system.

Ubisoft released a dev blog this morning that takes a deep dive into the massive change coming to the main game with the launch of Operation Shifting Tides. Limb penetration has always been somewhat of a touchy subject within the community. There are copious instances of players setting up solid entries with stun grenades only to be denied the all-important headshot because of the enemy player going through an animation that causes the character model to cover the hitbox of their head. These are the moments of Siege that may cause some keycaps to go flying. Ubisoft is remedying the issue with its new limb penetration system, though. 

The developer “aims to increase the lethality of shots and provide guidance on where a bullet should land,” according to the post. The lack of bullet penetration has led to the misconception of poor hit registration (hit reg). In Siege, every single bullet counts. This is a game that has a one-shot headshot mechanic, so if it looks like a bullet should be hitting but doesn’t, then it looks like egregiously bad hit reg. In the case of limb penetration, this is a common occurrence. 

Ubisoft is handling the new system by laying out penetration categories. The categories are labeled No Penetration, Simple Penetration, and Full Penetration. Each category is informed by weapon type. For instance, most shotguns and secondary machine pistols will fall under the No Penetration category, which makes sense considering the power of the other types of weapons in the game. 

Simple Penetration will include assault rifles, primary SMGs, LMGs, pistols, and revolvers. This seems to be the category that will have the biggest impact since it covers the widest range of weapons. Simple Penetration ensures that “a shot that connects with a body part will then potentially hit another body part behind the first hit appendage of the same Operator,” according to Ubisoft. The aforementioned example of the stun animation denying a player a headshot is exactly what Simple Penetration will cover. There’s no chance of the bullet hitting a third area of the body or passing through one body to damage another, according to Ubisoft. 

Full Penetration is more or less what it sounds like. This is the most limited category and will include select marksman and sniper rifles. These weapons will be capable of fully penetrating one body to deal 70 percent of the initial damage to the second body. Full Penetration abides by the same damage modifier ruleset as Simple Penetration. 

Damage modifiers will play a key role in deciding how much damage is dealt when a bullet penetrates through an enemy’s limb or body depending on the penetration category. If a player is shot in the hand blocking the face, for example, then the damage dealt will be that of a headshot. Higher modifiers will always take priority over the lower. 

Armor rating is also a factor in deciding how much initial damage is dealt to the limb in a bullet penetration scenario. Ubisoft said that one-armors will take full damage, two-armors will take 10 percent less, and three-armors take 20 percent less. 

It looks like Ubisoft may have a winner on its hands with these new changes. Not hitting headshots because there was previously no real bullet penetration system was a frustrating experience for many players, so this should help in terms of comfort and the perceived “fairness” of the game. These changes may also help temper the negative perception of Siege’s hit reg overall.

Operation Shifting Tides is live now on the Test Server and players are encouraged to share feedback and any bug or glitches they may encounter. For more information on the new limb penetration system coming to Rainbow Six Siege, fans can visit the official site here.