Attackers in Rainbow Six Siege have always been somewhat conservative with how their abilities shape the battlefield. From donning great shields, through to burning tiny peep holes into reinforced walls and trapdoors, most strategies lack the ability to go in hard and fast. This is poised to change with Rainbow Six Siege Vector Glare and its new light wall throwing operator, Sens — hello Cyberpunk!

Following on the new tradition of completely throwing classic tactics out the window, Rainbow Six Siege Vector Glare finally allows attacking squads a bit more freedom with how they approach corners, windows, and even rooftop entrances. Previous year seven operative Azami, opened a whole new can of worms for defenders, and it only makes sense for attackers to get the same treatment. In what is arguably more Ghost Recon than what Ghost Recon has become in recent instalments, Sens has the ability to “create literal walls of light” thanks to a cool roving disc-bot thingamajig they carry around in their back pockets!

There are dozens of operators extremely capable of breaking and entering behind enemy lines, allowing squads to pick off defenders long before the opposing team even knows what is up. Sens now offers attackers who prefer to tackle things head-on, way more freedom. Sens’ fancy new R.O.U. Projection System can be thrown into a room, or dropped from above, where it will start to roll on its own, and create a screen along the path it travels. Squad mates can use this wall of light to move and reposition themselves without the risk of being seen by any opposing player. While this screen blocks sight, it does not block projectiles, however, so attackers still need to take cover from enemy blind fire. This changes things up considerably, forcing defending squads to play with operators who can detect movement, or perhaps even operators with infrared sights. 

Sens is a brilliant new addition to the attacking roster thanks in most part to how versatile their new tech is. Throw it against a pillar or a wall, and it will bounce off and project a screen around a corner; throw it through a window, and attackers can enter freely as long as the projection holds. A fast player with good accuracy can even cover spawn locations from defending players who like to play dirty right as matches start. In my Rainbow Six Siege DemonVeil preview, I noted how teams with Azami could become quite formidable; which is most likely what prompted Ubisoft to add a new way to countermeasure with Sens.

Another big addition Year 7 brought to the game was the inclusion of a brand-new Team Deathmatch game mode. Rainbow Six Siege Vector Glare improves on the mode with a fancy new map purposefully built for intense player versus player action. The map, named Close Quarter, focuses on movement rather than defence. It is built with maze-like, tight corridors with exits everywhere players look. There are countless lines of sight at all times, and no hiding spot will stay safe for long. This must be the most non-Rainbow Six Siege map the game has ever seen, and players who prefer bum rushing over tactical infiltration will be right at home. 

Ubisoft made a couple of big promises starting out with Year 7, and it seems the company is already starting to deliver; with quality of life being chief amongst the focuses with this seasonal release. Players now have access to a shooting range to practice and learn all there is about the various weapons each operator can carry. The shooting range features two lanes: one focusing on recoil and bullet spread, while the other calculates damage spread out across body parts. While fairly simple, having the shooting range is a massive quality of life addition the game sorely needed. It allows for quick comparisons between operators and essentially lets newer players learn the ins and outs without the risk of losing actual games. 

Another very welcome addition comes by way of Operator Guides, quick and easy tutorials explaining how operators work. These tutorials are unique to every operator, and they detail what their abilities do, what scenarios they are good for, and even includes small videos to showcase the different ways players can use them. Players can also view this at any time via the pause menu or through the start menu, making it one of the easiest ways to learn how chosen operators work. 

Other additions include a new privacy option perfect for streamers, creators, and players who prefer to keep their real identities hidden. The options include the ability to set a temporary nickname and hide information seen by other players during and after matches, and for players to hide their custom avatars by displaying default Ubisoft avatars instead. Players can even choose the information they make available to others; hide other player names and have them appear as NATO Phonetic alphabet names instead (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.), and even control whether players want to receive friend requests or not. Ubisoft has promised even more privacy options later this season, such as the ability to control how players appear in Friend Suggestions tabs on Ubisoft Connect

Going even further, players can play with the ease and comfort of knowing that toxicity is being handled. Reverse Friendly Fire is a system put in place where players damage themselves when they purposefully shoot squadmates. Repeat offenders, however, will now be added to a list and be given penalties depending on how often they activate Reverse Friendly Fire. Penalties include warnings before and after matches, and a new counter where every match they enter will apply automatic Reverse Friendly Fire to them. The penalty will be on a match-based timer, and will only count down when matches have been played all the way through. 

Smaller, yet equally as important, quality of life improvements come by way of a new Screen Shake Intensity toggle, allowing players to set the intensity of any screen shaking effects during gameplay. Match Cancellation has also received several new updates, allowing players to cancel out of matches where only half a squad has loaded in or connected. The User Interface has also been updated for clarity. Further additions coming in Rainbow Six Siege Vector Glare include operator price drops for specific operators — most of which are now more affordable than before. 

Ubisoft made it clear how timetables are ever-changing, and that the promises made in season 1 may come sooner or later, but so far the company has delivered wonderfully. From Sens and their incredible new means to improve on attacking, through to the huge list of quality of life updates, Rainbow Six Siege Vector Glare more than seems like the perfect time to jump back into the game. 

Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.