There’s never a better time to get back into Rainbow Six Siege than when a new season drops, and the launch of High Calibre is no exception. As with seasons of the past, it’s coming packed with content, from a new operator, a map rework, balance changes, but also a new weapon and a UI overhaul which will have Siege looking as new as ever.
New operator Thorn is the headline addition and she looks like she could be a real doozy for Attackers to deal with. The Irish Defender has a unique ability called the Razorbloom Shell. This is a placed explosive that works like a proximity mine. If an Attacker strays too close, they will hear a high pitched whir where they will have barely a second to locate and shoot it before it goes boom. And yeah, if you’re close enough, it will kill you.
Perhaps best of all too, Thorn is equipped with a new weapon. The UZK50GI is a new SMG, and it can shred walls and floors as well as operators. If you are looking to blast a hole in a surface, it’s easy to create new sightlines on the fly.
The other big addition comes in the form of a rework for the Outback map, which has seen a tonne of work done on key areas from the garage, the restaurant, motel and more. The garage size has been reduced with more cover and windows to make it a better experience to defend. There is also a new breakable wall on the upstairs bombsite.
Elsewhere the Restaurant has been split into two rooms, and the outdoor terrace has been closed off, now only accessible by a breakable doorway. Bedrooms and bathrooms have also been simplified making the action much easier to read with way less visual clutter.
However, perhaps the first thing you will notice about your Rainbow Six Siege experience is that the visual HUD has been improved on. The game’s scores are easier to read along with teammate health on top of key information like button presses and the compass being much clearer. It’s overall just a much cleaner and fresher look for the Siege experience.
There are also some key changes to balancing for Operators coming. Two of the biggest are changes to Valkyrie and Finka. Valkyrie’s camera’s, as well as other defender cameras, can now only be placed outside for 10 seconds before they explode. This is to allow attackers a more concealed entrance to a site. That said, they are still very useable if timed just right. Elsewhere, Finka can now revive herself from a downed position.
There’s a lot more to discover in High Calibre. The new season is launching today on all platforms so why not jump in and check out the new changes for yourself?
