Rainbow Six Siege: Y9S4 Update Patch Notes — Blackbeard, Crossplay, Balance Changes
Another season of Rainbow Six Siege is finally upon us, and fans couldn't be more excited to begin trying the Blackbeard rework. Action-packed content and quality of life features have been added en masse in today's update, so it looks like players are ready to jump headfirst into Operation Collision Point.
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Ubisoft released a list of official patch notes explaining all of the recent changes and additions to Siege. Although there are dozens of little things you'll notice in Operation Collision Point, there are about three major points of interest that'll change the landscape of Rainbow Six Siege forever.
Official Operation Collision Point Patch Notes
Blackbeard isn't the only operator who received balancing changes in the Y9S4 update, and Operation Collision Point has also added tons of little features that'll make your Rainbow Six Siege experience even smoother. Click this link to visit the full Operation Collision Point patch notes, which are also listed below.
Blackbeard
Blackbeard comes equipped with the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield. The shield is capable of adapting it's shape to grant the best cover while on foot and in rappel. The shield also includes a breaching pneumatic system that allows Blackbeard to create his own rotations by destroy soft walls. Blackbeard's weapon skills allow him to equip the H.U.L.L. Adaptable Shield and primary weapons simultaneously.
Sens
R.O.U. Projectors have been refitted this season with a battery that depletes while they are turned on and a switch that allows Sens to turn them off. This on/off switch allows for more flexibility and creativity in how you use the device: turn the projectors off if they're working against you or to leave Defenders crossing the light screen in a vulnerable position.
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In addition, thermal sight can no longer see through the screens, providing extra defenses.
Thunderbird
With this new update to Thunderbird's Kona Station, you no longer have to stay in its range until you reach full health. Once you step in range, a healing buff is applied and you can leave whenever you'd like. Your health will keep regenerating until full, but be careful—taking damage will remove the buff and your healing will stop.
Ying
- Removed instant-trigger mode from Candela.
Ballistic Shield
The update to Ballistic Shields focuses on adding more value to suppressive fire, a feature that allows Defenders to slow down Shield Operators and combat aggressive players so they can reposition or seek help.
- Bullets to trigger suppressive fire reduced to 5 (from 10).
- Bullets to reach maximum suppressive fire intensity reduced to 20 (from 40).
In addition, there have been some changes to how melee attacks interact with Shields.
- Melee damage reduced to 0 (from 65).
- Guard break intensity from a melee attack remains the same.
- Melee priority: Shield melee is canceled if the other's melee hits first.
- Melee range: Shield melee range is more similar to a knife melee.
- Consecutive guard breaks increase intensity with each melee hit, leaving the Shield Operator more vulnerable each time.
Mousetrap Update
With the arrival of PC & console crossplay, players with a Mousetrap Penalty are forced into the PC-matchmaking pool for 90 days, replacing the old penalty that forced extra latency. If mousetrapped players turn off crossplay, they won't be able to join matchmaking at all until the option is turned back on.
Cheater Match Cancellation
Cheaters detected and banned by the moderation team or automatic ban system are now immediately kicked from their ongoing match, and the match is canceled. This change bypasses the need for players to vote on cancelation and avoids the resulting MMR rollbacks.
Reputation Center Overhaul
The Reputation System has been reworked inside and out, with some new actions added into its calculations like Ally Damage and Ally Gadget Destruction. Player Reports have also been removed from the system's calculations.
Transparency is a key part of the new Reputation Center design to help you show how actions translate into standings, and if you're close to an action's warning and penalty threshold.
Added to the Reputation Center this season is a new feature called Impacts, but don't worry: they aren't active yet. When the new season starts, all player actions and standings will be reset for a fresh start with the new Reputation System.
AI Text Moderation
Text chat moderation is now assisted by an AI service that analyzes messages in real time to remove highly toxic messages and flag disruptive ones.
Console To PC Crossplay 1.0
Crossplay between PC & consoles is finally here! Now you can Squad up with your friends wherever they are.
Console players get the option to join the PC player pool if they wish, but PC players will not have the option to join the console matchmaking pools. And any Squad that has a PC player must play in the PC matchmaking pool.
When playing Ranked with crossplay active, console players will maintain and progress PC rank that is separate from their console rank depending on the matchmaking pool they join for the match.
Siege Cup Beta Update
Console players get ready to assemble your best Squad: Siege's very own in-game tournament will be running for all platforms this season.
Invites are no longer needed, either. When a Siege Cup tournament starts up, anyone who is Clearance Level 50 and meets the eligibility criteria can form a Squad to compete for Competitive Coins to unlock new, exclusive skins. Just remember, you need to be a full Squad since teams aren't formed via matchmaking in this playlist.
Phantom Player
Starting this season, we are implementing a new algorithm to the matchmaking system called the Phantom Player, which aims to tackle the problem of Squads that consist of members with very different skill levels creating unbalanced lobbies when they queue together.
With Phantom Player, the matchmaking system adds a mathematical "6th player" to every Squad that queues, taking into consideration the difference between the Squad members' skills. It also looks at the amount of players in the Squad, meaning that bigger Squads will face tougher opponents.
Phantom Player will be introduced to all playlists this season while we monitor its results closely to tweak the algorithm if necessary.
Team Rebalancing
The second matchmaking update this season also focuses improving the method used to create more fair match-ups. Before a match begins, the system will check the difference between team skill ratings to make sure matchmaking happened fairly. If there is too great of a disparity between teams, they'll be reshuffled for less of a skill difference while taking Squads into account to keep their members on the same team.
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Career
This season brings a new hub where all of your account-related information is found in one place, providing insight into all of the things that make up your Siege career, such as rank and reputation, with account stats coming soon. Match replays are now accessed from here as well.
Badges
Show off your accomplishments with this expansion to the existing Operator Card.
Badges are now awarded for completing a new challenge set that aims to bring recognition to your accomplishments, skills you've honed, and dedication to the game. You can level up a Badge by completing each of its challenge tiers, changing its appearance each time.
You can equip up to 3 badges on an Operator Card.
Seasonal Weapon Skins
The most dangerous of storms approaches, but with the aid of the Impenetrable Bundle, even the strongest tempest is but a breeze. Obtain the Gung Ho weapon and attachment skin, the Pocket Shield charm, as well as the Irrepressible operator card background. The skin hits alongside the season launch. It works with all weapons once it has been unlocked
Operator Price Decrease
Difficult times often require new approaches and solutions, and Operation Collision Point is one such moment. Try out different Operators at reduced cost! Decreasing to 10,000 Renown, or 240 R6 Credits, is Operator Thorn. We have Operator Solis having her cost reduced to 15,000 Renown, or 360 R6C Credits. Lastly, Tubarão is available at 20,000 Renown, or 480 R6 Credits. Forge a new path and tackle new challenges!
Operator Guides
- Updated with balancing changes for Sens and Thunderbird.
- Added drone jump trajectory to Drones.
- Updated with Blackbeard rework changes.
Caster Cards
- Streamlined displays for health, utilities, and ammunition.
- Kills, deaths, and assists added to the condensed card for quick reference.
- Sleeker, smaller card design for a cleaner, more refined look.
- Enhanced visibility for the spectated card.
Training Grounds
- Maps added: Coastline, Emerald Plains.
- Maps removed: Lair, Stadium Alpha.
Michael Caruso is a journalist of five years who works to share his passion for gaming with the world. Throughout his career, Michael has written for various video game and news publications, focusing his writing on entertainment and the well-being of the environment. When Michael isn't writing, he can be found playing his guitar or immersed in a virtual world.