It’s finally time to start talking about Rainbow Six Siege’ next major update, Operation Solar Raid, and everything coming to the shooter in Year 7 Season 4 – and there’s a lot to talk about. But, if you’re here to find out about the Rainbow Six Siege Operation Solar Raid release time, you’ll find that below too.
Then, we’ll go over what to expect from this season’s new operator, what Ubisoft’s Ranked 2.0 changes mean for you, and everything else coming in this huge title update. This is still one of the best competitive FPS games out there – and one of the biggest esports games – and it’s important to be prepared ahead of your first game in Y7S4.
Rainbow Six Siege Operation Solar Raid release time
If you’re looking forward to Y7S4 and the new content coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Solar Raid, you’ll be pleased to know that the Rainbow Six Siege Operation Solar Raid release time is expected to be around 07:00 PST / 10:00 EST / 15:00 BST on December 6.
However, these timings are unconfirmed and based on previous seasons and when Y7S3 is scheduled to end. We will update this you and this article with any more information when it is made available.
Rainbow Six Siege Y7S4 operator Solis
As always, Rainbow Six Siege is getting a new operator in Operation Solar Raid and Y7S4 – the aptly named Solis. You can find out more about the Rainbow Six Siege Y7S4 operator Solis right here, but here’s what we know about her loadout:
- Primary Weapons: P90 / ITA 12L
- Secondary Weapons: SMG-11
- Gadgets: Impact Grenade / Bulletproof Camera
Solis’ unqiue gadget is an augmented reality visor that will allow her to track enemy electronics and reveal them for her team. This makes her an excellent ally when playing as Bandit or Mozzie – however, she can be countered effectively by Thatcher, anyone with an EMP grenade, and IQ.
Rainbow Six Siege Y7S4 Ranked 2.0
In addition to a new operator, Ubisoft is introducing Ranked 2.0 to Rainbow Six Siege in Y7S4. While not revolutionising how ranked systems work, it will change how you climb the Rainbow Six Siege ranks somewhat.
Moving forward, Rainbow Six Siege’s MMR will be now known as a Skill Rating – something independent from your rank that will be used to facilitate skill-based matchmaking.
Using this new independent SBMM system, a Rainbow Six Siege player’s rank will be determined by their “ranked points” – something that is earnt based on match wins. Each rank will now be divided into five tiers, valued at 100 “ranked points” each, and Ubisoft has introduced Emerald rank between Platinum and Diamond.
So, that means there will be a total of 40 ranks to progress through in any given Rainbow Six Siege season. These will reset at the end of each seasonal ranked period, but your MMR will remain to ensure that you’re always matchmaking with people of a similar skill level. That means there aren’t any placement matches to play through anymore – you can get straight to climbing the ranks.
Rainbow Six Siege Y7S4 new Night Haven Labs map
If this wasn’t interesting enough, Ubisoft is also introducing a new multiplayer map to Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Solar Raid: Night Haven Labs.
With one bomb site in the basement, two on the ground floor, and one on the building’s first floor, expect games to be split between all three levels of this map’s main building quite a lot of the time. The main building itself is also surrounded by open areas, so attackers should find that there are quite a few entry points to consider when attacking each bomb site.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for them. The interior of this building is going to feature a number of tight rooms and plenty of opportunities to be caught out by savvy defenders. It’s also worth noting that you won’t be able to ban the Night Haven Labs in a game’s ban phase, however, it will still appear. This change has been implemented to ensure that newly added maps get playtime against fan favourites.
Rainbow Six Siege Y7S4 additional new features
If you thought that was all, there’s a lot more coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Y7S4.
Both crossplay and crossprogression are coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Solar Raid. Console players and PC players will not be able to matchmake together, but you will be able to link your progression on both platforms through Ubisoft Connect. This should also reduce matchmaking times, thanks to Rainbow Six Siege being able to draw from a larger pool of players.
From Y7S4, players will also be able to see their Reputation standing and where they stand in the recently implemented Reputation system. Friendly Fire and Reverse Friendly Fire penalties have also been removed from the the game’s Preparation Phase in an effort to combat toxic behaviour.
Ubisoft is also making a number of quality of life changes in this update, including: Shooting Range records to help players track their tests, Advanced Controller Options when it comes to sensitivity settings, improvements to Drone Strafing when using a controller, the introduction of a universal operator ADS speed, permanent Bomb Site icons when discovered in-game, and more accesibility options for colourblind players.
There’s also a brand new Rainbow Six Siege battle pass system being implemented alongside the updates above. You can find out more about that by clicking the link, but it should allow players more freedom when unlocking and completing Rainbow Six Siege battle passes moving forward.
Rainbow Six Siege’s Y7S4 is touted as one of the biggest we’ve ever seen fro Ubisoft and we’re inclined to agree – especially when you consider the fact that there’s a seasonal event to come, at the very least.