Ubisoft today delivered a rundown of the soon-arriving Operation Shifting Tides update to Rainbow Six Siege. Unveiled during the Pro League finals in Japan, the final major content update of the year has two operators hailing from India and Kenya, who are joined by a map rework of Theme Park.
Joining the attacking forces is the Indian operator Kali, who comes equipped with a powerful bolt-action sniper rifle that can penetrate through both walls and enemies. Her gadget role is being an alternative to Thatcher, where the rifle also has an under-barrel launcher. This shoots projectiles that burrow into walls - even reinforced - before exploding on both sides, removing any defender gadgets that were protecting them.
Meanwhile, defenders are getting the Kenyan operator Wamai, whose Mag-Net gadget pulls in a thrown grenade or projectile of attackers into it before detonating, giving the defenders time to react. This magnetic gadget can only pull in a single object before being used up, but Wamai receives more of them as the match progresses. This projectile denial skillset makes Wamai an alternative to Yager.
As detailed earlier this year, this seasonal update doesn't come with a new map, but includes a complete rework of Theme Park, which now touts the name Chinese Castle. The map has undergone some massive changes just like previous reworks, with the layout being changed to completely remove the Train section, while the two sides have been squashed together.
More importantly, the lighting has been updated as well, removing the extreme darkness previously associated with the map. See the gameplay reveal video above to get a full rundown on these changes.
There are other features incoming too, like adding bullet penetration through limbs to make sure stray hands don’t block headshots, rappels needing a button press to exit so accidental animations aren't a thing, and even a Capitāo Elite Skin, among others.
Operation Shifting Tides is going online on the Rainbow Six Siege test servers tomorrow, November 11, for a final round of polish before being released in full to everyone. As usual, the two operators will be given out to Year 4 Pass owners and Uplay+ subscribers a week before everyone else gets a chance to unlock them.