Rainbow Six Siege‘s big new Operation Burnt Horizon update is on the way to PS4, Xbox One, and PC soon, and publisher Ubisoft has finally revealed all the details. As revealed during at the 6 Invitational, Year 4, Season 1 will bring two new Operators, Mozzie and Gridlock, as well as a new map named Outback.
Gridlock is a 3 armor, 1 speed attacker who comes equipped with three Trax Stingers–throwable, expanding spike clusters that slow and damage enemies who walk on them. Think of them as attacking versions of razor wire that cause damage–and make a similar amount of noise. Gridlock is therefore seen as an anti-roaming Operator. Her weapons include the F90 assault rifle or M249 LMG, as well as the Super Shorty sawn-off shotgun.
Mozzie, meanwhile, is a 2 armor, 2 speed defender who wields three deployable Pest devices, which will automatically hack and take over any enemy drone that enters a small radius. The drone is then fully under the command of the defending team; a small blue light is the only indicator to attackers that their drone is no longer under their control. Mozzie can use an AR9 assault rifle or the R10 Ronie machine pistol, as well as the same Super Shorty as Gridlock.
Outback is the accompanying Australian-themed map to Operation Burnt Horizon. Its restaurant, hotel, and fuel station form a relatively small L-shape arena that offers ample opportunity for close quarters combat. Outback is free for all players, while Gridlock and Mozzie can be unlocked with in-game Renown or by buying the Year 4 pass.
Ubisoft has not yet announced a release date for Operation Burnt Horizon, but it will likely launch on the test server for PC players very soon, before a wider launch on all platforms in the coming weeks.
During the 6 Invitational stream, Ubisoft also detailed what it has in store for the game in the coming year. Firstly, it is reworking itself as a dev team and setting up number of cells to tackle different aspects of the Siege experience, including how players interact with the game and other players. One of the big new upcoming features is designed to address the ongoing team-killing issue. Season 1 of Year 4 will test reverse friendly fire, which damages a player attacked others on their own team.
Those that deal damage to a friendly player is sanctioned, and then any additional damage they dish out is instead inflicted on them. Ubisoft noted that this is the first iteration of the reverse friendly fire system, and it intends to work on it going forward.
Ubisoft is also planning to take ranked play out of beta, and will have the pick and ban game mode as the primary match type in this competitive playlist. A ranked hub is being added in where players can get more information on what maps are being rotated in and out of the pool, personal performance stats, and other details on rewards for winning competitive matches.
Another thing revealed during its Year 4 roadmap include a playlist designed to help newcomers to ease into the game. It is for players level one to 50 clearance, and will put them in games with other people of a similar skill level. Rules will be very similar to those used in ranked matches, to get newcomers comfortable with the way its played at higher levels. Newcomers can still play casual matches, where action time will be reduced to three minutes and 30 seconds.
Naturally, each of the four seasons that make up Year 4 will also add two new characters from different parts of the world into the game. Older Operators, meanwhile, will be discounted, so they’ll be cheaper to buy regardless of whether you’re spending real money or in-game currency. Ubisoft intends to add in a new Operator select screen to accommodate the arrival of new character in Year 4 and beyond.
Map reworks are also in the plans. Kafe Dostoyevsky will get an expanded second floor to give players more space to work with, while moving the staircase on the bottom floor to help reduce dead space. The Bakery bombsite, meanwhile, has been moved into the kitchen, which helps out defenders.
Kanal is being re-imagined for Season 3. There’s a new route up top and a tunnel below, so there’s new options as you approach the red building. Choke points have been opened up a bit so it’s not as claustrophobic as it previously was. Finally, Theme Park is set to be changed in Season 4, and it is very early in the redesign process. Ubisoft showed of a floor plan said it would be looking at the hallway on the second floor, and added that it hopes to rework the lighting so it’s easier to identify threats.
Operators will also be further balanced, and there’s an entire team dedicated to it. For Lion, Ubisoft is pushing him towards a role that makes him an intel operator that helps others get kills by supplying them with information. Glaz became a bit too good in close quarters, so his IR scoped will be linked to his movements, so he’ll require more skill to be successfully penetrate enemy lines. He’s also being shifted into more of a sniper roll, instead of an entry fragger. Both of these characters will be updated in the first half of Year 4.
In terms of Gadgets, the deployable shield will be easier to position and have small slits in it that let whoever is behind the shield see what’s happening on the other side. An operator cannot shoot through them, as they’re primarily designed to be an intel-gathering tool. Capitao’s fire grenade is also being tweaked so it’s better for area denial. The breach charge is also undergoing a small quality of life change, so the impact of an explosion isn’t as extreme. This means it’s less likely to kill enemies that aren’t really close to the blast zone.
