Ubisoft’s tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege announces a series of adjustments for various operators with the “Designer Notes” for the Y7S1.2 test servers. The reactions from the community to the changes are extreme, as Ubisoft nerfs one of the most popular operators, even though they classify him as “too weak.” Other operators, deemed too strong, remain unchanged.
Which operator is being addressed? The British SAS operator Smoke is one of the most popular operators in defense. In Ubisoft’s tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege, he plays a crucial tactical role in many line-ups.
The developers regularly check which operators are used in the rankings and how often they win. Based on this, they make adjustments. One of these adjustments now affects Smoke.
The developers are nerfing him on the test servers now. Smoke will henceforth take damage from his own gas. It is surprising that Smoke is being weakened, despite Ubisoft classifying him in the analysis as “too weak.”
Why is a too weak operator being nerfed?
Is Smoke too weak? Smoke’s win delta is below 0%. Thus, the operator is considered “too weak.” Generally, however, Smoke is seen as relatively well-balanced.
Even though the win delta of the SAS defender is below 0% in the “too weak” category, he is in a comparatively good condition with more than -1%. For example, Castle and Goyo are in a worse situation (via ubisoft.com).
Smoke is very close to a balanced win rate. The nerf aims at the operator’s presence. However, this is not tied to his strength, but rather to his tactical relevance.
Is Smoke played too much? Since its release, Smoke has been a very popular operator. In Ubisoft’s recent presence analysis, he is one of the seven most played operators in defense at around 30%. He surpassed Mira, Bandit, Lesion, Mozzie, and Vigil and is considered “overpicked.”
Important operator for tactical setup
Why is Smoke played so often? Smoke’s high presence is partly due to the lack of an adequate alternative to him.
Smoke has a shotgun as a primary weapon and the SMG-11 as a popular fully automatic secondary weapon. This combination allows him to engage in gunfights at close, mid to long range, making him very flexible as a defender.
More importantly, he can shoot holes in walls and floors with the shotgun, creating new sightlines and passages. Operators with similar equipment often lose out in terms of tactical relevance, as Smoke can relatively safely block access from a distance with his gas canisters and prevent the placement of the defuser.
Reactions from the community: “Absolutely unnecessary”
What are the reactions? The adjustments that Ubisoft has published on the Y7S1.2 test servers have elicited strong opinions from the community even before the first tests.
Many players are unhappy with the changes. Some are worried about their favorite operators, while others are urgently missing much-needed nerfs for Finka and LMGs. MeinMMO shows you some reactions from the community:
- @MacieJay via Twitter: “I am definitely not a fan of Smoke losing immunity to his own gas. I generally hate passive abilities, but when it is tied to the primary gadget of an operator like Smoke, I think it is good and should stay as it is.”
- @MiloshTheMedic via Twitter: “Can we do something about LMGs and leave almost all these issues off the table?”
- @Lurch412 via Twitter: “They should at least take Finka’s grenades away and give them to Gridlock.”
- @Zenoxor6 via Twitter: “The Smoke nerf is absolutely unnecessary, plus 2 claymores? Very questionable!”
- @RavebRxh via Twitter: “I hope this doesn’t make it to the main servers.”
- @namesYuuri via Twitter: “How did the Smoke nerf even pass the brainstorming session at Ubisoft?”
However, alongside the numerous negative opinions, Niclas Mouritzen alias Pengu does not see the Smoke nerf as a problem. Pengu is one of the best and most recognized Smoke players in Siege and a two-time “Six Invitational” winner (the Rainbow Six: Siege World Championship).
Maybe I play Smoke differently, but I rarely find myself in my own gas. Although it is a strange change, and the consistency / reasoning for some changes is odd, I really don’t see the bigger problem from a gameplay perspective.
Pengu via Twitter
Test server update brings further nerfs but also buffs
What has been announced? In addition to the nerf for Smoke, Rainbow Six: Siege has released further adjustments in the designer notes for the Y7S1.2 test servers. The proposed changes aim to influence the win rate and presence of operators in played matches with ranks.
Other popular operators like Bandit and Nomad are also affected by the changes. MeinMMO summarizes the adjustments announced for the test servers in the designer notes (via ubisoft.com) for you:
- Smoke: Is vulnerable to his own toxic gas.
- Bandit: Can deploy multiple batteries for the same reinforced wall or gadget.
- Blackbeard: Loses the breaching charges as a secondary gadget and instead receives claymores.
- Claymores: The number of claymores available to an operator increases from 1 to 2.
- Ying: The number of Yings “Candelas” increases from 3 to 4, while Ubisoft reduces the duration of the flash effect of a candela from 2.8 to 1.4 seconds.
- Warden: The duration of his glasses’ effect (protection against flashbangs and the ability to see through smoke) increases from 10 seconds to 20 seconds. To counter this buff, the cooldown of the mentioned ability will also be increased from 10 to 20 seconds.
- Gridlock: The number of Trax canisters increases from 3 to 4.
- Nomad & Oryx: Knocked down operators can remain on the ground and regain control of the character faster. Additionally, the recovery time of a knocked-down operator decreases from 2 seconds to 1.25 seconds.
Besides the Smoke nerf, further changes are being tested on the test servers. The changes regarding Bandit’s batteries, Warden’s glasses, or the number of claymores are also exciting and raise numerous interesting questions.
How do you assess the changes of the test servers? Do you find them justified and wish for them in the main game? Are there still changes you feel are necessary, like the mentioned LMG nerf? Would you like to see any adjustments regarding the current state of Finka?
