Operation Crystal Guard
From Liquipedia Rainbow Six Wiki
Operation Crystal Guard
Patch Information
Version:
6.3.0
Release Date:
2021-09-07
Highlights
- New operation
- Balance changes
- Bug fixes
- Misc changes
Chronology
Overview[edit]
Introducing Crystal Guard, Rainbow Six Siege’s third season of Year 6! This season, we’re introducing our latest Operator, Osa, an engineering prodigy from Croatia who brings expertise to Nighthaven with her quick wits and unapologetic enthusiasm for '60s sci-fi movies.
This season is packed with a plethora of updates including changes to Operator armor and DBNO scoring as well as balancing for Twitch, IQ, Mute, and Fuze. Players also have a new way to customize Elite Uniforms. Read more in the Patch Notes below.
New Operator[edit]
Osa[edit]
“If one’s imagination is the only limit, there’s virtually nothing Osa can’t make.”I’ve seen the creative process in many different forms, but watching Anja “Osa” Janković at work, I realize I had never seen just how natural innovation is for some. Sketching, calculating and tinkering with such ease, there’s no question as to why Kali chose her to lead Nighthaven R&D.
Dr. Harishva “Harry” Pandey, Director of Rainbow (Rainbow Six Siege's official website)
Unique Ability[edit]
GADGET: Talon-8 Clear Shield
Most shields are bulky and singular in function, but the Talon-8’s adaptability makes it incredibly efficient in establishing forward positions…Dr. Elena “Mira” Álvarez, Director of R&D (Rainbow Six Siege's official website)
The transparent and bulletproof Talon-8 Shield can be carried by Osa or deployed on floors or window frames, giving her a protective line of sight while she formulates an attack strategy.
Map Reworks[edit]
Bank, Coastline, and Clubhouse have been rebuilt from the ground up to enhance balancing, environmental destruction, sound propagation, and lighting. Bank, one of Rainbow Six Siege's oldest maps, has largely remained untouched over the years. With this season's changes, all three maps are now in-line with today's technical standards, and Bank has received a full art rework. Some of the main changes to each map are outlined below.
Bank[edit]
- EXT Boulevard vehicles have been moved to new locations to prevent runout eliminations.
- Some EXT Low Roof and EXT High Roof skylights have been blocked to prevent unfair firefights.
- Line of sight into EXT Back Alley has been adjusted to prevent spawn peaks.
- EXT Terrace has been updated to prevent spawn peaks.
- Filing cabinets between 1F ATMs and 1F Lobby have been removed to prevent easy shots into the interior balcony.
- All metal bars have been removed from B Vault to increase the ease of shooting.
- A new alleyway named EXT Side Alley connects EXT Boulevard and EXT Back Alley.
- Hatch in 1F Lobby now leads to B Vault.
- Railing in 2F Skylight Stairwell is now destructible.
Coastline[edit]
- The line of sight into the building from EXT Rooftop has been partially blocked to prevent unfair firefights.
- Some windows in 1F Courtyard are now blocked, and all open windows can be barricaded.
- A new 1F Reception bomb site replaces the 1F Service Entrance bomb site.
- 1F Service Entrance is now located between the 1F Reception bomb site and the exterior door, preventing Defenders from planting the defuser directly at the exterior door.
- Exterior wall in 2F VIP Lounge is now breakable and players can rappel up from EXT DJ Booth.
Clubhouse[edit]
- 1F Stock Room bomb site has been removed and there are now two bomb sites in 1F Bar, one behind the bar and one beside the stage.
- A doorway has been added between the bar and stage in 1F Bar.
- New props have been added to the bar area in 1F Bar.
- A path now connects EXT Kennels and EXT Graffiti Area.
Elite Customization[edit]
Players are now able to equip any headgear with an Elite Uniform and any uniform with an Elite headgear as long as they are both owned and belong to the same Operator.
Hp Replaces Armor[edit]
Operator armor has been converted to health (HP). 3-Armor Operators have 125 HP, 2-Armor Operators have 110 HP, and 1-Armor Operators have 100 HP.
Player Comfort[edit]
Opponent Rim Light[edit]
- By default, opponents are now highlighted with a rim light, which helps prevent unfair camouflage. This Interface Preference can be turned off in the Options menu.
DBNO Scoring[edit]
- Players will now get a kill score when they down or completely eliminate an opponent. Players will receive an assist score when they eliminate an opponent who was already downed by a teammate. Note: The 'kill feed' will display the name of the last player to damage the opponent, whether or not they got a kill or assist.
- The DBNO scoring event has been removed. This prevents players from gaining unfair intel when they down an opponent who isn't in their line of sight.
Balancing[edit]
Twitch Rework[edit]
- Twitch now drives a standard drone during the Preparation Phase. Her Shock Drone is equipped during the Action Phase. It now jumps and fires lasers that destroy opponent devices instead of disabling them.
IQ Rework[edit]
- IQ's Electronics Detector is now equipped with the Ping System 2.0, allowing her to identify and ping electronic devices through walls, including those held by Operators, like the counter defuser and Vigil's ERC-7.
Mute Changes[edit]
- The area of effect for Mute's Signal Disruptor is now spherical instead of cylindrical, and the device lights up when active.
Fuze Changes[edit]
- Fuze's Cluster Charge can now be deployed on reinforced surfaces. When triggered, the sub-grenades take additional time to pass through reinforced surfaces, whereas they instantly pass through soft surfaces.
Flash Detection Changes[edit]
Ying's Candela, 
Blitz's G52-Tactical Shield, and the Stun Grenade use a new flash detection system that calculates flash duration. It takes the environment and angle of the explosion into account as well as players' distance and orientation. This means that if an Operator is affected, they will always be flashed at 100%, but the duration will change each time, increasing the reliability of the flash effect.
Operators Price Decrease[edit]
Five Operators are getting a price decrease with this season.
Maverick and 
Clash's price drops down to 10,000 Renown or 240 R6 Credits.
Amaru and 
Goyo’s price goes down to 15,000 Renown or 360 R6 Credits.
Zero's price decreases to 20,000 Renown or 480 R6 Credits.
Seasonal Weapon Skins[edit]
This season features an explosion of colors in a kaleidoscopic pattern. Acquire the Holographic Bundle to become a visual masterpiece.
The weapon skin will be released at season launch and is available for purchase throughout the season. Once unlocked, it remains in your inventory indefinitely and can be applied to all available weapons.
Operator Balancing[edit]
These changes will be broken down and explained in detail in our upcoming Designer's Notes blog post. (See here)
AK-12 Weapon (
Ace & Fuze)[edit]
- Increased first shot kick.
- Increased vertical recoil.
- Horizontal spread is now stronger and more constant to the right.
- Long burst recoil now starts on 10th bullet instead of the 12th.
Finka[edit]
- Frag Grenade replaces Hard Breach Charge.
Sledge[edit]
- Removed SMG-11.
Glaz[edit]
- Increased magazine capacity of OTs-03 to 15 bullets (from 10).
Iana[edit]
Twitch[edit]
- Twitch now drives a standard drone during the Preparation Phase. Her Shock Drone is equipped during the Action Phase. It now jumps and fires lasers that destroy opponent devices instead of disabling them.
- Note: The collision size of the Shock Drone has been adjusted, and as a result, it no longer fits through 6 drone vents. Level Design is working to correct this. The affected vents are located on the following maps:
- Kanal - 2F Printer Room
- Kanal - B1 Bathroom
- Oregon - 1F Shower Corridor
- Oregon - 1F Small Tower
- Border - 1F Bathroom
- Border - 1F Main Lobby
IQ[edit]
- IQ's Electronics Detector is now equipped with the Ping System 2.0, allowing her to identify and ping electronic devices through walls, including those held by Operators, like the counter defuser and Vigil's ERC-7.
Mute[edit]
- The area of effect for Mute's Signal Disruptor is now spherical instead of cylindrical, and the device lights up when active.
- The area of effect is displayed for 2.5 seconds after deployment is complete.
- Bullet collision is more accurate as the device's antennas and handles have been added to the collision.
Fuze[edit]
- Fuze's Cluster Charge can now be deployed on reinforced surfaces.
- When triggered, the sub-grenades take additional time to pass through reinforced surfaces, whereas they instantly pass through soft surfaces.
Tweaks & Improvements[edit]
Game Balancing[edit]
Flash Detection Changes
- Ying's Candela, Blitz's G52-Tactical Shield, and the Stun Grenade use a new flash detection system that calculates flash duration. It takes the environment and angle of the explosion into account as well as players' distance and orientation.
- This means that if an Operator is affected, they will always be flashed at 100%, but the duration will change each time, increasing the reliability of the flash effect.
Ranked and Unranked Earning Increased
- Increased XP and Renown gain in Ranked and Unranked by 15% to match other PVP playlists.
Player Comfort[edit]
Post-Action Report
- Post-Action Report has updated art representations in each tab. The information in the Battle Pass tab and the Packs tab is more specific and clear.
Shop - Esports
- A free gift (Esports Pack) can be acquired in the Esports category of the Shop.
- New items have been added to Esports Packs.
Display Area
- Players can now scale the display area of the menu and in-game HUD. These options are in the Display section of the Options menu.
Weapon Magazines
- Adjusted ammo count for primary and secondary weapons to set a consistent magazine ammo range for each weapon in a weapon type.
Damagre Drop-Off
- Adjusted damage drop-off for each primary weapon type (except for shotguns with spread pellets) to have consistent, linear curves.
- Unified damage drop-off for silencers (15%) across all primary weapons (except for shotguns with spread pellets).
Friendly Fire
- To help combat toxicity, friendly fire for thrown device hits and launcher hits has been removed.
- This change does not impact the effect of the gadget. For example, throwing a frag grenade at a teammate will not deal damage, but the explosion of the frag grenade will.
Rarity Icons and Cards
- Improved the recognizability of different rarity categories for items and pack cards.
Match Replay
- Added gamepad functionality.
- Added support for Team Loadout.
- Added support for Banned Operator icons.
- Improved sounds overall.
- Reduced replay file size.
Spectator Mode
- Spectator mode now shows the Operators who have been banned by each team and displays the magazine ammo in the loadout info.
Opponent Rim Light
- By default, opponents are now highlighted with a rim light, which helps prevent unfair camouflage. This Interface Preference can be turned off in the Options menu.
DBNO Scoring
- Players will now get a kill score when they down or completely eliminate an opponent. Players will receive an assist score when they eliminate an opponent who was already downed by a teammate.
- Note: The 'kill feed' will display the name of the last player to damage the opponent, whether or not they got a kill or assist.
- The DBNO scoring event has been removed. This prevents players from gaining unfair intel when they down an opponent who isn't in their line of sight.
Screen Shake Reduction
- Screen shakes that result from explosions are now reduced across the board and are completely removed from certain device explosions. This helps make shooting more precise and competitive.
- Screen shakes are completely removed from explosions caused by:
Flinch Reduction
- The flinch animation that used to occur when an Operator was hit by bullet damage is now reduced. This helps make shooting more precise and competitive.
MMR Rollback 3.0
- To ensure fair players keep their MMR (such as when they win against a cheater), improvements to the system address the most relevant matches and restrict the time window in a current season when rollbacks occur.
- The messages displayed by the system have been improved.
Game Health[edit]
HP Replaces Armor
- Operator armor has been converted to health (HP). 3-Armor Operators have 125 HP, 2-Armor Operators have 110 HP, and 1-Armor Operators have 100 HP.
New Skill Distribution
- The team detected a trend where Ranked players who reach Platinum don't play as much to reach Diamond. For this reason, Platinum now has smaller gaps between skill ranks, and more skill ranks have been added to Diamond, so high level players can climb skill ranks faster and have a greater sense of progression.
- New Platinum gaps (old ones in parenthesis):
- Plat III – 3200 (3200)
- Plat II – 3500 (3600)
- Plat I – 3800 (4000)
- New Diamond gaps and skill ranks:
- Diamond III – 4100
- Diamond II – 4400
- Diamond I – 4700
- Please note: This is not Ranked 2.0 – that feature will require more changes and will come at a later date.
Individual Attacker Spawn
- Players can choose whether they want to spawn with other players or spawn alone.
- This setting is now always active in all playlists, allowing players more agency over their spawn selection and overall strategy.
- Since the setting is now always active, the option to vote for a single Attacker spawn location has been removed from Custom Game settings.
Map Rotations
- Instead of a big rework, this season there will be three maps with small changes: Bank, Coastline, and Clubhouse.
- Ranked/Unranked: No rotation, since Favela was introduced to Ranked and Unranked map pools midseason during Y6S2.
- Newcomer: Coastline replaces Favela in the Newcomer map pool.
- Note: Remember, Quick Match does not have a rotation.
Y6S3 Patch Size[edit]
Below you will find the download sizes for each platform:
- Ubisoft Connect: 24 GB
- Steam: 12 GB
- Xbox One: 20 GB
- Xbox Series X: 20 GB
- PS4: 20 GB
- PS5: 16 GB
Bug Fixes[edit]
Gameplay[edit]
- Fixed – Windows cursor remains stuck on screen, blocking camera movement.
- Fixed – Reinforcing a partially damaged hatch does not destroy the original wooden surface.
- Fixed – Battle Pass reward system is not functional for all game modes and completing a match results in an infinite error message.
- Fixed – Revive animation isn't canceled when players fall through a hatch while reviving a teammate.
- Fixed – Operator first-person view shifts downwards when players lean right while in rappel.
- Fixed – Windows cursor remains stuck on screen, blocking camera movement.
- Fixed – Reinforcing a partially damaged hatch does not destroy the original wooden surface.
- Fixed – Battle Pass reward system is not functional for all game modes and completing a match results in an infinite error message.
- Fixed – Revive animation isn't canceled when players fall through a hatch while reviving a teammate.
- Fixed – Operator first-person view shifts downwards when players lean right while rappelling.
- Fixed – Defenders can exit onto Skyscraper scaffolding without being detected.
- Fixed – Players don't receive Kill score if they are eliminated after they DBNO an opponent and a teammate finishes the opponent.
- Fixed – Death Replay camera is offset if player is eliminated by an electrified wall.
- Fixed – Health bars of spotted opponents are visible in HUD.
Level Design[edit]
- Fixed – Multiple issues with planting or picking up the defuser in specific areas on various maps.
- Fixed – Multiple clipping, collision, destruction, and asset issues on various maps.
- Fixed - Exploitable gaps on various maps.
- Fixed – Some lighting issues on various maps
- Fixed – Multiple LOD and LOS issues on various maps.
- Fixed – Hostage is located in 1F Workshop not 1F Server Room as specified by the objective location on Border map.
- Fixed – Multiple LOD and LOS issues on various maps.
- Fixed – Various defuser planting and retrieval issues in specific areas on maps.
- Fixed – Exploitable gaps on various maps.
- Fixed – Multiple clipping, collision, destruction, and asset issues on various maps.
- Fixed – Multiple lighting issues on various maps.
- Fixed – Environmental destruction does not occur around indestructible assets.
- Fixed – EXT location on Bank map that's normally inaccessible can be accessed by players.
- Fixed – Deployment animation is no longer available if the barricade animation is canceled on the door that is west of 1F Teller's Office on Bank map.
- Fixed – Operator floats and shakes when positioned between the trash bags and concrete ramp on Bank map.
- Fixed – Aruni's Surya Gate does not deploy on the door that leads to 1F Tellers' Office on Bank map.
- Fixed – Hostage is located in 1F Workshop not 1F Server Room as specified by the objective location on Border map.
- Fixed – Multiple navigation issues where the operator is floating and shaking in specific locations on Clubhouse map.
- Fixed – Drone can navigate under floors on Clubhouse map.
- Fixed – Echo's Yokai loses signal near 1F North Stairs and 1F Hallway on Coastline map.
- Fixed – During Preparation Phase, a red wall can be seen on one side of the window located at 2F Hallway on Coastline map.
- Fixed – Echo's Yokai loses signal if it's navigated near the wall at 1F North Stairs on Coastline map.
- Fixed – A gap is visible when Osa's Talon-8 Shield is attached to the door between 1F Service Entrance and 1F Kitchen on Coastline map.
Operators[edit]
- Fixed – Multiple detection and ping issues with IQ's Electronics Detector.
- Fixed – Mute's Signal Disruptor doesn't get destroyed when an opponent shoots the antennas.
- Fixed – Dokkaebi's 3.0x scope reticle appears in EOR replay.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone lights appear detached.
- Fixed – Camera pulses remain stuck on screen of IQ's Electronics Detector after cameras are destroyed.
- Fixed – HEL Presence Reduction grants Nøkk immunity to slow effect produced by Melusi's Banshee Sonic Defense.
- Fixed – Collisions involving Echo's Yokai interfere with navigation.
- Fixed – Echo's Yokai can be attached to any exterior doorframe.
- Fixed – Occasionally, some of Hibana's X-Kairos pellets don't deploy when shot in succession.
- Fixed – Lion doesn't get +5 pts when the EE-One-D detects an opponent.
- Fixed – Reload animation for Hibana's X-Kairos experiences glitches.
- Fixed – Gridlock's M249 SAW has only 60 bullets when reloading with 1 bullet in the chamber.
- Fixed – Mira loses points when another player breaks Black Mirror that has a friendly gadget deployed on it.
- Fixed – Area of effect feedback for Kaid's Proximity Alarm remains stuck on screen in Support Mode.
- Fixed – Maestro's Evil Eye can't destroy Gridlock's Trax Stingers when they're deployed on uneven surfaces.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone clips through any asset.
- Fixed – Health bar flashes when players equip one of Rook's armor plates after being revived.
- Fixed – Lion, Finka and Iana's first-person device animations are not interrupted by Oryx's Remah Dash or Nomad's Airjabs.
- Fixed – Operators with wearable electronic devices are not revealed after being pinged by IQ's Electronics Detector.
- Fixed – Ace's S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher destroys Osa's Talon-8 Shield when thrown.
- Fixed – Energy bar for Clash's CCE Shield is missing.
- Fixed – Dokkaebi's 3.0x scope reticle appears in EOR replay.
- Fixed – Collisions involving Echo's Yokai interfere with navigation.
- Fixed – Echo's Yokai can be attached to any exterior doorframe.
- Fixed – Flores' RCE-Ratero Charge gets destroyed near fences on various maps.
- Fixed – Drill SFX for Fuze's Cluster Charge continues playing when device is destroyed.
- Fixed – A reinforced wall is treated as a soft wall if Fuze deploys the Cluster Charge exactly where another device is deployed on the other side.
- Fixed – Gridlock's M249 SAW has only 60 bullets when reloading with 1 bullet in the chamber.
- Fixed – Occasionally, some of Hibana's X-Kairos pellets don't deploy when shot in succession.
- Fixed – Reload animation for Hibana's X-Kairos experiences glitches.
- Fixed – Multiple detection and ping issues with IQ's Electronics Detector.
- Fixed – Camera pulses remain stuck on screen of IQ's Electronics Detector after cameras are destroyed.
- Fixed – Captured Mozzie drones don't appear as captured in IQ's Electronics Detector.
- Fixed – Regular ping appears instead of smart ping when IQ uses the Electronics Detector to ping the counter defuser in PVE.
- Fixed – IQ's Electronics Detector detects friendly drones that have recovered from disabled state.
- Fixed – Area of effect feedback for Kaid's Proximity Alarm remains stuck on screen in Support Mode.
- Fixed – Kaid's Rtila Electroclaw activates without delay when it drops from one surface to another.
- Fixed – Lion doesn't get +5 pts when the EE-One-D detects an opponent.
- Fixed – Maestro's Evil Eye can't destroy Gridlock's Trax Stingers when they're deployed on uneven surfaces.
- Fixed – Shooting the back of Maestro's Evil Eye while his shield is open, destroys the device.
- Fixed – Mira loses points when another player breaks a Black Mirror that has a friendly gadget deployed on it.
- Fixed – Crash occurs if player ejects Mira's Black Mirror while a device is deployed on it.
- Fixed – Mute's Signal Disruptor doesn't get destroyed when an opponent shoots the antennas.
- Fixed – HEL Presence Reduction grants Nøkk immunity to slow effect produced by Melusi's Banshee Sonic Defense.
- Fixed – Osa's weapon collides with Talon-8 Shield if she picks it up while rappelling.
- Fixed – Handles on Osa's Talon-8 Shield are incorrectly positioned when she equips/unequips the device while rappelling.
- Fixed – Osa's hitbox is too small when she rappels and picks up the Talon-8 Shield.
- Fixed – Various Osa animation issues.
- Fixed – Osa does not have a Nighthaven model phone.
- Fixed – Player can cancel the equip animation for Osa's Talon-8 Shield.
- Fixed – SFX is missing when Osa picks up the Talon-8 Shield.
- Fixed – Health bar flashes when players equip one of Rook's armor plates after being revived.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone lights appear detached.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone clips through any asset.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone gets destroyed near fences on various maps.
- Fixed – Landing SFX plays twice after player jumps Twitch's Shock Drone.
- Fixed – Twitch's Shock Drone does not appear during EOR replay.
- Fixed – Total loss of functionality is encountered when swapping between Zero's Argus Camera and other Observation Tools.
User Experience[edit]
- Fixed – Multiple UI and Graphics issues.
- Fixed – Various Match Replay issues.
- Fixed – Various localization issues.
- Fixed – Various Voice Chat and VFX issues.
- Fixed – Various customization and Shop issues.
- Fixed – Surrender vote remains active when round ends before the vote expires.
- Fixed – Player usernames are sometimes replaced with random numbers and letters representing the profile ID of a linked account.
- Fixed – Operator icons and player usernames shake when players move around.
- Fixed – Tactical map was not updated after release of reworked Bank map.
- Fixed – UI elements present during EOR replay do not respond correctly after player modifies the HUD Display Area.
- Fixed – MMR Rollback popups appear after players complete a match, not when they log into the game.
- Fixed – Online ID on PS5 is split in Simplified Chinese.
- Fixed – A PC player has the communication disabled for all Stadia users if the PC user activates the Crossplay Communication option only after entering the session.