Rainbow Six Y5S3.3 patch to nerf Ace, Melusi & Oryx changes, more

Rainbow Six’s Y5S3.3 patch is just around the corner. While the Tachanka rework won’t be shipped, major changes to Ace, Melusi, Oryx, Glaz, and more will be awaiting players in the balance update.

If you were hoping the Tachanka rework was being shipped to Rainbow Six’s live servers this early, you’re sadly incorrect. The Russian operator is currently available for testing on the TTS with a release planned for a couple of weeks time.

In the meanwhile, some major changes are being made to the live game. Year 5 operators Ace, Melusi, and Oryx are being targeted to try and bring their power in line, while other, older operators are getting a leg up in the Y5S3.3 patch.

Ace loses SELMA charge, Glaz movement penalty buffed

Siege’s newest hard breacher, Ace, is hitting a little bit too hard. His SELMA charges have proven to be a nuisance. They are arguably the best hard breach gadget in the game, able to open up massive holes at any size he so chooses.

However, he will be a bit more vulnerable to tricking after Y5S3.3. He is losing one of his SELMA charges, going down from three to two. This means he can only open up two holes or one hatch a round.

• Read more: Everything we know about the Tachanka rework

“With this change we aim to reduce the presence of the Operator, maintain Thermite as a credible alternative, and to invite Ace players to think twice when placing S.E.L.M.A. on a reinforced wall,” Ubisoft said.

Glaz, on the other end of the attacker spectrum, is getting a buff. The Russian sniper has struggled since his revamp, and while it’s not a total reversal coming through, his movement penalty is being buffed so it’s a bit more forgiving.

Melusi & Oryx swap primary weapons in power shift

On the defender side of things, two of the most recently released operators are swapping primaries. Melusi will grab Oryx’s MP5 to “slightly reduce her versatility and ability to win gunfights,” while Oryx will get the T-5 to help his roaming.

• Read more: Ubisoft finally squash infuriating Rainbow Six sound bug

Frost is getting the ITA12S as a new secondary to help her open up rotation holes and provide a bit more to her team. Tachanka is losing his 1.5x scope on his 9x19VSN ahead of his rework too.

The TCSG-12 and ACS-12 shotguns are also being buffed. The TCSG-12 was once the weapon of choice on Kaid and Goyo, and it could return to the top with increased damage at range now. The ACS-12 will also benefit from the same change.

You can find the full set of intended changes for the Rainbow Six Y5S3.3 patch below.

Rainbow Six Y5S3.3 early patch notes

Operator Balancing

Ace

• Reduce the number of S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher explosions to 2 (from 3).

Frost

• Adding the ITA12S as a secondary weapon.

Glaz

• Reduce vision recovery time to 0.4s (from 1s).
• Reduce movement penalization by 50% (from 6s to 12s of movement).

Melusi

• Adding MP5 as a primary weapon (Removing T-5).
• Optics available on the MP5: Red Dot, Holographic, Reflex.

Oryx

• Adding T-5 as a primary weapon (Removing MP5).
• Optics available on the T-5: Red Dot, Holographic, Reflex, Scope 1.5x.

Tachanka

• Removed 1.5x Scope from Tachanka’s 9x19VSN.

Weapons

TCSG12

• Damage drop-off has been made more progressive to reach minimal damage at 50m (instead of 20m).
• Damage at maximum range increase to 68% (from 48%).
• Suppressor damage penalization normalized to -12.5% regardless the range.

ACS12

• Damage drop-off has been made more progressive to reach minimal damage at 50m (instead of 20m).
• Damage at maximum range increase to 68% (from 48%).
• Suppressor damage penalization normalized to -12.5% regardless the range.