Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X review: "Bigger, better, and more user friendly than it's ever been – it's the perfect time to dive in"

Let's face it; rebranding your longstanding, hugely popular online product with a big letter 'X' is not always a smart move. Apropos of nothing however, I'll go on to say that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X has set itself up to expand its userbase rather than decimate it, combat toxicity rather than encourage it, and overall it's the best it's ever been rather than the worst it's ever been. This is one X that does give it to us.

That big ol' X is a nod to the fact that the game is now 10 years old. With Rainbow Six Siege marking the anniversary by going free-to-play, there will be a lot of people playing for the first time. The use of the word 'siege' in the title hints at the nature of the core modes that they'll find – both attack and defense centered around an objective or two (an area to defend, a pair of bombs, or a hostage) within a building. A prep phase sees the attacker team sending in ground drones to find the objective and identify defenders, while the defenders can reinforce (or blow holes in) walls, set traps, and choose their positions. Then, the siege begins.

The game has seen a lot of changes over the years even before Rainbow Six Siege X, but some fundamentals remain the same. For one thing, each character – or, rather, Operator – has a unique ability or gadget, and is permanently assigned to attack or defense. Fuze has a device that can shoot explosives through breakable surfaces, for example, while Castle can block doorways and windows with bulletproof barricades rather than the standard, flimsier, wooden ones. It's also important to note that, a decade on, your bullets and explosives are still just as deadly to your teammates as they are to your enemies.

X Education

Now, could you do me a favor, and play a record scratch sound effect in your head? Thanks. We really need to take some time out to focus on the friendly fire element. The Rainbow Six Siege X refresh will see returning players as well as new ones. Perhaps you, like me, abandoned the original a number of years ago due to the omnipresent toxicity rampaging through the community. One of the most visible elements of this toxicity was intentional teamkills, which would be seen on one or both teams – in my experience, at least – in almost every single match. I'm pleased to report, therefore, that this behavior now seems to be relatively rare.

Although put into place long before the X refresh, the reputation system will be a powerful reason for many lapsed players to return. It's a transparent system that issues positive or negative points depending on behavior, with rewards and punishments doled out according to your current reputation status (Dishonorable, Disruptive, Respectable, Esteemed, and Exemplary). Don't worry about being punished for the occasional (and inevitable) accidental teamkill, or friendly gadget destruction. It's annoying to pick up negative points for an accident, but the way the system is set up, in order to be demoted you'll have to be going really heavy on the teamkills and nasty chat. It's an imperfect system, but its positive impact is self-evident and very, very important.

There are still, um, enthusiastic members of the community to be encountered, but so far I've found it's just edgy trash talk that can be fixed with muting and hitting the off switch on text chat. The addition of a long-needed communication wheel ensures that you'll still be able to help and warn your team if chat isn't your thing, too. The core experience blossoms as a result. Now, you're free to concentrate on the fact that caution is key, as it's no exaggeration to say that you can sometimes plummet from maximum health to death within a single second (maybe two if the opponent's aim is a little off). Every match is tense, each kill a thrill. No longer do I fear my teammates as much as (or more than) the players on the opposing team.

Maps get a subtle overhaul too, with tweaked versions of Bank, Clubhouse, Border, Chalet, and Kafe available at launch. Not only do they look a little prettier, new destructible elements have been added. Gas pipes will spit flame before eventually exploding, while damaged fire extinguishers can block visibility. Some pipes are strategically placed so that the jet of flame will temporarily block a window or doorway, though you can simply wait it out. A more impactful change is that Operators now clearly cast shadows, a new element to keep in mind when sneaking around those tight corners.

Make it rainbow

Clash – the only defender armed with a shield – sees a rework with the launch of Rainbow Six Siege X. Previously, her body-height electro shield was armed with a shock pulse that would slow and damage opponents, and switching to a weapon took a few seconds that could feel like a few minutes. Most of this is still true, with two significant changes. Firstly, she now has the option of setting the shield down like a portable barricade (which can be charged through), leaving her free to move and shoot behind it, while the shock blast can be activated remotely. The second change is that while the shock still slows enemies, it no longer damages them. This is indicative of a wider change to how electricity works.

Now, electricity treats all players the same. It deals no damage to either team regardless of the source, meaning that electrified barbed wire (for example) can no longer be used to chip away at opponent health. Electrified reinforced walls will still destroy any breaching gadgets applied to them, and electrified barbed wire will still destroy incoming drones that pass through it, but it's no longer an element that can support bullets and explosions for player damage.

The major addition that Rainbow Six Siege X brings is a brand new mode, Dual Front. This is 6v6 rather than 5v5, takes place in the biggest map to date (District), and – although it's an attack and defense mode – there are respawns. The twist here is that both teams are attacking and defending simultaneously, with victory handed to the side that captures all three opposing sectors in sequence first. The hope seems to be that this new mode will snare players attracted by the free-to-play nature of the X update. In addition to the inclusion of respawns, equipment supplies will slowly regenerate over time, available Operators are a rotating selection of 35 – everybody has the same pool of defenders and attackers – and, while dead, you can spawn a temporary drone on a teammate you're spectating to support with recon.

When in drone

District is an excellent map. The multi-level buildings have the imposing corridors, threatening corners, and destructible walls, floors, and ceilings that you'll find in the core modes. The outside areas offer some limited cover, but are infused with a sense of vulnerability as you make your way from one building to the next. As outside areas are now important to both teams, sniping spots have been scattered around. There's even a roof you can get on top of; but, this being Rainbow Six Siege, there are multiple angles you could be attacked from yourself up there.

Although each Operator has been deliberately calibrated for play in a claustrophobic environment, they all work excellently in Dual Front. In part, this is due to the fact that the primary task – capturing each of the enemy's three zones in turn while defending your own – still follows the rule of 'static objective within a building'. The ability to select a new Operator on respawn, meanwhile, allows you to adapt to any specific enemy Operator giving you a hard time, or change tactics when it becomes clear that your team needs more emphasis on attack or defense.

It's a carefully designed experience that mostly works well, but I do think that new players looking for a casual free-to-play experience will bounce off Dual Front with record-breaking velocity. For one thing, the 30 second wait to respawn can be agonizing. The temporary drone gimmick is a great idea that softens the blow, but the speed with which you can be killed can be pretty dispiriting when you've just spent 30 seconds jogging to your objective.

Movement is another thing. It's fairly slow and heavy, but that's by no means a bad thing; it's an important part of Rainbow Six's identity. So too, however, is the fact that it has The Loudest Footsteps In Gaming. Everybody stomps around like an angry teenager storming up the stairs to their bedroom to play My Chemical Romance at maximum volume. As a result, if you don't have the patience to slowly sneak the greater-than-usual distance to your destination, an enemy lying in wait will hear you coming long before they see you. This is something Rainbow Six veterans will know and accept, but it'll be much harder for new players to spend the time adapting to.

Regardless of the mode, the sheer volume of Operators Rainbow Six Siege X now includes means that new players will have a lot of learning to do. Questions may include "How did they know where I was?", "Why did that window explode?", "Why isn't my device working?", and of course, the classic "What the [expletive removed] just happened?".

Nonetheless, with Rainbow Six Siege X, the game now finds itself in the best position it's ever been in for player onboarding. In addition to challenges to unlock Operators and modes, there are modes to familiarise yourself with the many maps and weapons outside of PvP, and each Operator now has a page with simple, easy to understand tutorials explaining their unique features to help you decide whether to spend your hard-earned Renown (or hard-purchased Credits) on them. And, of course, now you can start playing for free.

Rainbow Six Siege X manages to provide something for everyone. Existing players get a new mode, a character rework, and multiple small but meaningful improvements. Lapsed players will find an experience that's instantly familiar, yet noticeably improved in some important ways. New players get the benefit of 10 years worth of development for free… so long as they have the patience for the more hardcore elements, and a willingness to slowly learn what over 70 Operators can do and how they interact with one another. WIth a refined experience and the promise of an expanded playerbase, Rainbow Six Siege X just might keep going for another 10 years.

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