Ubisoft has officially announced the newest season of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Operation Dread Factor, along with the announcement of the newest operator, a reworked map, a release date, and much more.
Year 8 Season 2 has been announced and is titled Operation Dread Factor, which introduces us to a new Swedish operator, Fenrir. Operation Dread Factor also brings a rework of the Consulate map, a new defender gadget, minor changes for player comfort, and even arcade mode, which goes live on May 30, 2023.
New Operator: ‘Fenrir’
The new operator joining Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Dread Factor is Fenrir. He is a two-speed, two-armor defender who will join the defender’s side on May 30, 2023. His special ability is the F-NATT Dread Mine, which creates a wall around the enemy when in proximity to the gadget.
Fenrir gets five Dread Mines that he can place anywhere around the site, map, and even outside the building. The gadget is bulletproof until toggled on, but can be destroyed using explosives. Fenrir also gets notified when his gadgets get triggered, giving him additional information about where the enemies are located.
Fenrir’s primary weapons are the MP7, commonly used by Bandit, or the SASG-12 shotgun. As a secondary weapon, he carries a Bailiff 410 that helps with the line of sight and rotations. With Fenrir, you can also choose to use barbed wire or a bulletproof camera, depending on what your team needs.
Map Rework: Consulate
Ever since its release, Consulate has never had a rework as big as the one coming in Operation Dread Factor. In the past, we’ve seen Ubisoft make minor changes, mainly to nerf spawn peeks by placing objects that would keep attackers safe until they entered the building.
This season, the Consulate will be completely unrecognizable. The developers have worked from the ground up, changing each floor and even objectives, with an emphasis on creating more opportunities and an overall balanced map for both attackers and defenders. Ubisoft’s main objective for the Consulate rework was to ensure attackers would spend more time inside the building rather than avoiding spawn peeks.
Shooting Range
The shooting range was added in Year 7, Season 2, with players being able to learn recoil patterns and test the damage of the weapon with various attachments. In Year 8, Season 2, players will have many more options and a better place to warm up their skills before entering a ranked game.
The shooting range will get a new lane in which players get to test recoil on moving targets to help with in-game situations, and by using that information, you can change the attachment.
Players will also be able to add a soft wall between the target and themselves, observing the damage drop-off and destruction capabilities of the weapon.
Permanent Arcade Mode
While many love the rank games, there have also been a large number of players who’ve come to love the event-based arcade games available once in a while. In Year 8, Season 2, players will be introduced to a brand new playlist called Arcade, in which you’ll find Snipers Only, Deathmatch, and Golden Gun.
Another mode that is going to be introduced is Free For All, a brand new game mode in which everyone fights for themselves.
Balancing
A new gadget is going to be given to the defenders: the Observation Blocker. The Observation Blocker is an intel-denying gadget that puts up a barrier, blocking a line of sight for drones and any intel-gathering attacker like Iana and Zero.
The Observation Blocker does not affect operators, only drones and cameras.
The other gadget the developers worked on was Grimm’s Kawan Hive launcher, which had close to no effect during in-game situations. The developers made his gadget a lot more impactful by reducing the equip time and increasing the deployment time of the Hives.
Player Comfort
For Year 8 Season 2, developers have added more functions to the Match Replay, in which players can now freely move around the map, which will help in making strategies or simply finding better angles to notice your mistakes.
Another minor change coming is a squad update, in which after the match ends, players get to notify the squad leader that they’re ready to queue for another match. After four of your teammates click on the ready icon, the squad leader will be able to end the post-action report and start looking for another match.
Click here to check out Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Dread Factor Patch Notes.
We hope you’re ready for the newest season of Rainbow Six Siege, releasing on May 30, 2023. Don’t forget to keep tuning in if you would like to know more about your favorite games, new releases, and everything new in the gaming industry.
