Siege nerfs one of the most popular operators, although it is too weak anyway

#Ubisofts tactical shooter RainbowSix: #Siege announces a number of adjustments for different operators with the “Designer Notes” on the Y7S1.2 test servers. Community reactions to the changes are extreme, as Ubisoft is nerfing one of the most popular operators, despite classifying it as “too weak”. Other operators that are considered too strong, on the other hand, remain unchanged.

Which operator are we talking about?

The #BritishSAS operator Smoke is one of the most popular operators in defense. In Ubisoft’s tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege, he plays a key tactical role in many lineups.

The developers regularly check which operators are used how often in the rankings and how often they win. As a result, they make adjustments. One of these adjustments is now Smoke.

The developers are now nerfing him on the test servers. Accordingly, Smoke will suffer damage from his own gas in the future. It is surprising that Smoke is weakened, although Ubisoft classifies him as “too weak” in the analysis.

Why is a too weak operator being generated?

Is Smoke too weak?

The win delta of Smoke is below 0%. This makes the operator count as “too weak”. In general, however, Smoke is considered to be reasonably balanced.

Although the win-delta of the SAS defender is below 0% in the range classified as “too weak”, it is in a comparatively good shape with more than -1%. The situation is worse for Castle or Goyo, for example (via ubisoft.com).

Smoke is very close to a balanced win rate. Accordingly, the nerf is aimed at the operator’s presence. But this is not tied to its strength, but to its tactical relevance.

Is Smoke played too much?

Smoke has been a very popular operator since release. In Ubisoft’s latest presence analysis, it is one of the seven most played operators in defense, with about 30%. He left Mira, Bandit, Lesion, Mozzie and Vigil behind him and is considered “overpicked”.

This is how the operators perform with respect to their presence and the associated win rate.

Important operator for the tactical setup

Why is Smoke played so often?

Smoke’s high presence is due in part to the fact that there is no adequate alternative to it.

Smoke possesses a shotgun as his primary weapon and a popular fully automatic secondary weapon in the form of the SMG-11. This combination allows him to engage in gunfights at short as well as medium to long range and makes him very flexible as a defender.

More importantly, he can use the shotgun to shoot holes in walls and floors, which present new vantage points and passageways. Operators with similar equipment often lose the comparison of tactical relevance, as Smoke can use his gas canisters to block entrances and prevent the placement of the defuser relatively safely from a distance.

Reactions from the community: “Absolutely unnecessary”.

What are the reactions?

The adjustments that Ubisoft released on the Y7S1.2 test servers evoke clear opinions from the community even before the first tests.

Many players are not happy with the changes. Some fear for their favorite operators, others miss much needed nerfs for Finka and LMGs. MyMMO shows you some reactions from the community:

@MacieJay via Twitter: “I’m definitely not a fan of Smoke losing immunity to its own gas. I hate passive abilities in general, but when it’s tied to an operator’s primary gadget like Smoke, I think it’s fine and should stay as is.”
@MiloshTheMedic via Twitter: “Can we do something about LMGs and leave almost all of these issues off the table?”
@Lurch412 via Twitter: “They should at least take away Finka’s grenades and give them to Gridlock.”
@Zenoxor6 via Twitter: “The smoke nerf is totally 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 make it through the brainstorming session at Ubisoft?”

But aside from the numerous negative opinions, Niclas Mouritzen aka Pengu of all people doesn’t see the Smoke nerf as a problem. Pengu is one of the best and most well-known Smoke players in Siege, as well as 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. While it’s an odd change and the consistency/justification for some changes is strange, I really don’t see the bigger problem from a gameplay perspective.

Test server update brings more nerfs, but also buffs

What was announced?

In addition to the nerf for Smoke, Rainbow Six: Siege has released additional adjustments in the Designer Notes for the Y7S1.2 test servers. The changes presented are intended to affect the victory rate and the presence of operators in played matches with rank.

Other popular operators such as Bandit and Nomad are also affected by the changes. MyMMO summarizes the test server adjustments announced in the Designer Notes (via ubisoft.com) for you:

Smoke: Is susceptible to its own poison gas.
Bandit: Can use multiple batteries for the same reinforced wall or gadget.
Blackbeard: Loses the blast mats as a secondary gadget and gets claymores instead.
ClaymoresThe number of claymores an operator has access to is increased from 1 to 2.
Ying: The number of Ying’s “Candelas” is increased from 3 to 4, while Ubisoft reduces the duration of a Candela’s glare effect from 2.8 to 1.4 seconds.
Warden: The duration of the effect of his goggles (protection from glare and ability to see through smoke) is increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds. To counter the buff, the cooldown of said ability is also increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds as well.
Gridlock: The number of trax canisters is increased from 3 to 4.
Nomad & Oryx: Operators knocked to the ground can remain on the ground, allowing them to regain control of the character more quickly. Additionally, the recovery time of an operator knocked to the ground is reduced from 2 seconds to 1.25 seconds.

In addition to the Smoke nerf, other changes are being tested on the test servers. The changes to Bandit’s batteries, Warden’s goggles, or the number of claymores are also exciting and raise many interesting questions.

What do you think about the changes to the test servers? Do you think they are justified and would you like to see them in the main game? Do you still miss changes, like the mentioned LMG nerf? Would you change anything about the current state of Finka?

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