Today, Ubisoft announced that Operation Brutal Swarm, the third season of Rainbow Six Siege’s Year 7, is now available. This season brings Grim, a new Singaporean Operator, an additional map, Phase 2 of the new Reputation System bringing chat sanctions, match replay reporting, and more gameplay improvements. Players can play Rainbow Six Siege for free on PlayStation and PC until September 8th and dive into the new season. Grim, the newest attacker in Operation Brutal Swarm, is a high-speed, low-health Operator, equipped with a 552 Commando or SG-CQB as a primary weapon and a P229 as a secondary weapon. His gadget, the Kawan Hive Launcher, fires a projectile that deploys a canister on the floor and releases a swarm of nanobots into the air. Defenders in contact with the swarm will have their position revealed, putting them at high risk until the nanobots run out of battery.
Alongside Grim, Stadium, a fan-favorite map, arrives at season launch as a permanent map. The map returns under a new name, Stadium Bravo. Utilizing elements from other maps and indestructible bulletproof glass, this map challenges both teams to develop new strategies due to the map’s unique layout.
Operation Brutal Swarm is one of the biggest seasons for major balancing changes impacting the weapons of Rainbow Six Siege: The recoil system has been overhauled with each weapon’s recoil adjusted, the intensity increasing during sustained bursts of fire. This change, exclusive to PC, means that console players will have dedicated recoil updates specially tailored for controllers. Other changes include more weapon attachment options and the removal of the damage penalty for suppressor attachments.
Alongside Grim, additional updates coming this season include:
- The addition of EMP grenades to select Operators’ loadouts
- Phase 2 of the Reputation System, introducing a new penalty for abusive text chat
- The ability to report cheaters in the Match Replay viewer
- New Map Ban phase includes five maps and updates to the tactical map
Also coming with the new season is the return of fan-favorite Battle Pass perk: a 10% discount off all items in the shop. This perk is available for future Battle Passes as well. With the new Buy For A Friend Battle Pass Program, players will be able to purchase premium Battle Passes for others who don’t own one.
