Rainbow Six Siege Y8S4.2 update patch notes, including Tubarao & Ace nerfs
The first big wave of balancing has finally arrived in Rainbow Six Siege with the Y8S4.2 update, bringing patch notes that fans of Operators like Tubarao and Ace won't particularly like.
Tubarao in particular has been arguably the best Defender in the game since he entered the fray in Y8S4, so it's to nobody's surprise that he has been hit pretty hard by the nerf hammer. There are plenty of other changes beyond this though, so make sure to see all of the details below.
Operator changes
Tubarao
- Zoto Canisters
- Decreased from 4 to 3
- No longer affects Maverick's D.I.Y. Blowtorch
- Electrical Insulation effect extended by 1.5 seconds after Canister destruction
This is a pretty hefty nerf to Tubarao but should keep him firmly within the meta of the game. It is particularly to dampen his effectiveness against hard breaching, as he now isn't a counter to Maverick and you need to be much quicker when dealing with Thermite, Ace, or Hibana.
The window for the latter three in particular is much smaller due to the extension of Electrical Insulation, meaning that your canister will be useless if you don't manage to throw it just after the charge has been activated.
Ace
- S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher
- Fuse time increased from 3.2 seconds to 4 seconds
This isn't a huge nerf, but it levels the playing field just a little bit between Ace and the other two hard breachers as he was clearly the strongest before. It gives defenders more time to react and leaves you needing to be more careful with your placements.
Click to enlargeKapkan
- Added Bulletproof Camera
- Removed Impact Grenades
Again, not a huge 'nerf' per se, but an adjustment that should help make Kapkan a little less effective overall. His passive gadget design is also perfect for the Bulletproof Camera, as he has nothing to worry about after the prep phase, leaving him able to provide further intel.
Maverick
- Added Smoke Grenades
This is definitely a buff to Maverick, as Smokes are some of the strongest pieces of utility in the game - especially for an Operator who finds himself somewhere in between the hard breach and support roles.
Thunderbird
- Added Deployable Shield
The Deployable Shield seems almost too perfect for Thunderbird's design that it's a surprise she didn't already have it. This will allow you to properly anchor down a site, and I might consider picking her up and trying out some setups now that this change has been implemented.
Weapon changes
SPAS-15
- First shot kick reduced
- Lateral recoil increased
- Elastic time increased
While automatic shotguns are certainly not the most popular weapons to use in Siege right now, this is a healthy change that should make them more consistent and skill-based.
This dampens the first shot recoil making subsequent shots easier to land, but raises the overall recoil to avoid any spamming. This should be a good pairing with Thunderbird's new Deployable Shield, and offer a great way to anchor on the bomb site.
G36C
- Vertical recoil increased
- Horizontal recoil increased
It is no surprise that the G36C is the next target for nerfs following on from the R4C and ARX-200, as both Ash and Iana players have definitely been favouring the gun in recent seasons.
There's no doubt that the weapon will still be strong, but it should make it less of a machine - especially with higher magnification optics equipped.
SMG-11
- Damage reduced from 35 to 32
This is a somewhat minor change but brings the SMG-11 in line with most of the other secondary weapons in the game. It is a tough gun to control, but with the damage reduced, it relies much less on random change and rewards players who are able to hit their shots.
That wraps up all of the changes arriving in Y8S4.2, but make sure to check out our Rainbow Six Siege homepage for more tips and tricks, including a full breakdown of the ranking system.
