The Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre battle pass is no longer available. However, the other additions it brought remain, such as Operator Thorn.
Time really does fly when you’re having fun, right? Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre was the last content drop for 2021, with Year 6’s content having flown by. This new operation brought plenty of new content from new operators, gadgets, and weapons to map remasters and long-awaited features.
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre introduced a two-armor, two-speed Irish defender called Thorn and she’s still sending attackers scrambling with well-placed traps today. The operation also featured the Outback rework, which made it a viable Siege ranked map, as well as balance changes to things like Adrenal Surge.
So, here’s everything there is to know about Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre, including the release date, Thorn, the Outbreak rework, and more.
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre release date
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre was released on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, for players with the battle pass. It launched on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, for everyone else.
However, eager fans could actually get in earlier by giving it a go on the Test Server beginning on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.
Rainbow Six Siege Operation High Calibre included:
- New Operator Thorn
- Outback rework
- UZK50GI weapon
- New cosmetics and battle pass, including Ace Elite Set
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre operator Thorn
Today, Thorn fits perfectly into the anti-bully role as her trap gadgets, known as Razorbloom Shells, have attackers second-guessing their entries. This gadget is essentially a sticky device that you can throw anywhere – onto walls, floors, and ceilings – and it’ll trigger after a short countdown once an enemy walks by.
Thorn has long been likened to Kapkan – one of the other major trap operators – but their gadgets operate in two very different ways. Kapkan’s traps are static, and can only be placed in doorways at set heights, whereas Thorn’s can be placed anywhere you like. This means the attacking team will find it very difficult to predict where Razorbloom Shells might be hiding.
The Shells can be destroyed before they’ve had time to detonate, but if one’s triggered, the attackers have to make a split decision – take down the trap and reveal their position or run. If you choose the latter option, you’ll have to move quickly as the Shells have a blast radius of three metres.
Thorn was built with destruction in mind – so you’ll want to think carefully about where you want to lay your traps and where your rotation holes are.
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre Outback rework
We knew the Outback rework was coming for a while before High Calibre landed in our laps but we were finally able to get our hands on it with this update.
To help people get to grips with the map, which designers wanted to turn into a Pro League level, the outside was decluttered and the inside had been reworked to give it a more natural navigational feel.
Garage was reworked completely as data suggested it wasn’t picked as a bomb site very often. Office and Party Room were adjusted so they were easier to defend, and Terrace was no longer completely outdoors.
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre changes
There were plenty of other changes that came with Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre, from balance changes to new features. Here are the key ones:
- Adrenal Surge changes: Finka could now self-revive.
- Valkyrie changes: Defender cams would no longer work outside and disconnected after ten seconds, so they could only be used for quick intel.
- Reporting changes: Issues with the reporting platform were fixed and players were able to speak directly to developers, while being rewarded for their efforts.
- HUD changes: A new HUD was introduced to make key information more accessible.
- Player protection changes: You could now set a nickname in-game to keep your identity private – this was designed to help protect content creators, but anyone could use it.
- Elite skins changes: Customizable Elite Skins allowed you to customise headgear and uniforms.
So there you go, everything that happened in the Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre update. As you can see, it was quite a shakeup for the competitive shooter.