Rainbow Six Siege Dust Line update improves graphics, fixes head positioning, introduces unicorns

Ubisoft has released the full patch notes for this week’s major Rainbow Six Siege update, revealing plans to introduce new customisation options, improve the game’s graphics and fix a number of issues requested by the community.

Arriving alongside the Operation Dust Line DLC tomorrow, the update introduces the option to decorate weapons with lucky charms, including a unicorn, mini operators and the Rainbow Six logo. It isn’t yet clear how you can unlock them, but you can check out examples of a few of them in the image below.

You’ll also be able to customise your operator’s headgear with “high quality” military and fantasy gear. You can unlock gear by spending the in-game currency or by purchasing Rainbox Six Credits via microtransactions.

Other new features include the option to switch loadouts between rounds and display a line-up of the winning team after each match.

There’s been a range of balancing tweaks made to some of the game’s existing operators, too, including major improvements to Tachanka’s LMG and the introduction of side-protection to Montagne’s shield. The range of IQ’s electronics-detecting device has also been extended, while Thermite’s frag grenades have been switched for Stun Grenades. You can see the full list of character changes below:

• IQ’s gadget now has enhanced visual feedback: We have changed the way IQ’s device displays the environment and electronic devices. You can now see through the screen, and there will now be an outline of the detected devices. The effective detection distance is now 20 meters.
• Tachanka’s LMG is now easier to place and easier to use: We have modified the placement zone so it is easier to deploy Tachanka’s Mounted LMG in tighter spaces, and while closer to walls or other objects. You will also be able to interact with the Mounted LMG much quicker than before (faster entry and exit time). This is a first step for Tachanka tweaks as we will continue to monitor and improve him.
• Montagne’s shield adds side protection: We are introducing added protection to Montagne’s shield to cover his sides. We believe this will make him a more interesting option, by pushing even further his defensive capabilities. This will allow him to enter rooms more safely and provide even more cover to his teammates.
• Frost no longer has a Nitro Cell: Building on the tweaks to Frost’s Super 90 shotgun introduced with Patch 2.3, we have decided to replace her Nitro Cell with Barbed Wire. We saw that the reduction in range to the shotgun did not really affect her selection rate nor her win rate. Since she has a very good and useful unique gadget, we believe that this change will fit her role as a trapper better.
• Buck gets grenades & reduced recoil, but his shotgun loses range: We are removing Buck’s Breach Charges due to the increase of Buck’s shotgun destruction radius. Instead, we are giving him frag grenades which we think will make him a more aggressive offensive Operator. We are reducing the horizontal variation on the recoil for one of his primary weapons, the C8 rifle. That means that when you hold fully automatic fire, the gun will move a little less in the left/right direction. We have slightly reduced underslung shotgun’s effective range by 2 meters, so it fits more as a tool than a clear-cut offensive weapon.
• Thatcher’s EMP grenade gets a range reduction: We’ve reduced his unique gadget’s effective range from 7m to 5.2m. The intention is to keep him from clearing a whole room of gadgets, from the top, bottom, or even sides. We want to encourage players into thinking where the best spot is to throw the EMP. Additionally, Thatcher’s EMP now disables enemies’ sights completely for 10 seconds.
• Sledge swaps Breach Charges for Stun Grenades: We have replaced his Breach Charges for Stun Grenades making his loadout options more versatile. We believe this change is for the best as Sledge has the equivalent of a better, reusable Breach Charge with him. He is also statistically almost never played with Breach Charges, which makes sense.
• Thermite swaps Frag Grenades for Stun Grenades: We are swapping Thermite’s Frag Grenades for Stun Grenades. There are two reasons behind this change. The first reason is that Thermite has a very important unique gadget, making him one of the most pivotal Operators in an attacking team. The second reason is to limit the number of concurrent Operators that can bring Frag Grenades on the field. To us, two Operators with frag grenades is more than enough for an attacking team, and more than two would make it a lot harder for the Defenders to protect their objective. This will make Thermite slightly less offensive, while giving him more utility.
• The FBI SWAT Recruit Shield loadout will now have heavy armor: The FBI SWAT recruit equipped with a shield is now bearing heavy armor, making him a 3 armor and 1 movement speed instead of 2 armor and 2 speed. We made that change for shield-wielding Operators to be consistent in speed. We saw what kind of aggression the Recruit Shield could bring and a skilled player taking full advantage of his loadout was too strong. This change should help making him on par with other shield-wielding Operators and effectively allow the newer Rainbow Six Siege players to get accustomed to the movement speed that shield-wielders have.

Other major changes, meanwhile, include less extreme contrast changes when looking inside and outside of buildings, and an improvement to “many aspects of the graphics”, including HDR rendering, meaning the game “will be more contrasted and saturated”. “Additionally some of the lighting on menus have been tweaked,” Ubisoft says, “and the lighting on the weapons has been improved.” Car windows are now breakable, too.

One of the most requested changes implemented in the patch, however, is tweaks to the character’s head and camera positioning, which should help reduce issues of other players being able to see your character’s head unfairly.

“We have grouped the camera and head placement tighter to expose the player’s head less,” Ubisoft says. “This should mitigate the issue where you are looking down from a window and someone can see your head but you can’t see theirs.”

There are a tonne of other improvements, too, plus changes made to the anticheat and “toxic behaviour” code of conduct. For the full list head through to the Rainbow Six website.

Operation Dust Line will be available free to all Rainbow Six Siege players on PS4, Xbox One and PC tomorrow, and introduces a brand new map – Border – and access to two new playable operators.

Source: rainbow6.ubi.com