Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Collision Point – Y9S4 Patch Review

The Blix team (remember our Blast R6 Montreal or Ranking System reviews) simply could not miss such a bang. As the Operation Collision Point (patch Y9S4) goes live in Rainbow Six Siege, players are gearing up for a season filled with revamped mechanics, fresh strategic possibilities, and long-requested changes. Let’s dive deep into the contents of the patch and explore the community’s expectations while assessing whether it meets the ever-heightening bar of tactical gameplay that Siege has cultivated.

Highlights

• Blackbeard operator remaster and operator balancing\
• Crossplay Introduction
• New skins and Ballistic Shield nerf
• Matchmaking (Phantom Player, Team Rebalancing) improvements
• Enhanced player protection (Cheater Match Cancellation, Mousetrap V2)
• Siege Cup  and Progression System recall
• Additional: review of the community’s reactions

Operator Remaster – Blackbeard’s Big Comeback

The most anticipated change comes with the remaster of Blackbeard. This Operator has been notorious for his tankiness, but with Operation Collision Point, he’s receiving significant upgrades. His HULL Adaptable Shield is a game-changer—providing both defensive coverage and the ability to breach soft walls. But wait—there’s more. Blackbeard’s shield is retractable, allowing him to wield a primary weapon when needed. This newfound flexibility promises to make Blackbeard a versatile threat once again, whether on the offensive or defensive.

With these upgrades, Blackbeard is set to dominate windows and soft wall breaches, providing tactical breathing room for his team. However, this also makes him a high-risk, high-reward operator: retracting the shield to fire exposes him. It will be interesting to see how players adapt to this fragile balance between offense and defense.

Operators Balancing: Tweaks That Matter 

Operation Collision Point also delivers a series of balancing changes that address ongoing concerns with various operators and gameplay mechanics.

Ying

The fuse on her flashbangs has been slightly lengthened, giving Defenders more time to react to the incoming flash effect. It’s a welcome tweak, as Ying has often been a hit-or-miss operator depending on the match’s pace.​

Thunderbird 

Receives a new twist to her healing station, the Kona Station. It now provides health regeneration until the player reaches full health or is injured. This gives her a more active role in team health management rather than merely providing a static healing item.

Sens

Also benefits from a more flexible playstyle. Their R.O.U Projector screens can now be toggled on and off, allowing for a more tactical deployment of these temporary barriers. Furthermore, the total number of projectors dropped has been reduced, ensuring that Sens only overwhelms the map with a few visual obstructions.​

Crossplay: The Unification of Platforms

Arguably the most, but indeed a fascinating proliferation, is the introduction of crossplay between PCs and consoles. This long-awaited feature means that players can now team up with their friends, regardless of whether they’re on a PC or a console. However, there’s a catch: if a PC player joins a squad, the entire team must play in the PC matchmaking pool. This ensures no imbalance when a high-skill PC player is mixed with console players.​

This could lead to growing pains, as console players face stiff competition when queued with a PC player. However, it also opens up new avenues for teamwork across platforms, ensuring that friends are never left behind because of hardware limitations.

New Skins

Operation Collision Point brings a fresh set of seasonal cosmetics with the Impenetrable Bundle, aligning with the season’s tactical themes. This bundle includes the Gung Ho weapon skin, an attachment skin, the Pocket Shield charm, and the Irrepressible operator card background. These items offer players a way to personalize their operators and gear while reflecting the stormy intensity of the season’s aesthetic. Available for purchase throughout the season, these cosmetics remain permanently in your inventory once unlocked and can be applied to all compatible weapons, adding flair to your loadout.

Ballistic Shield Adjustments

Operation Collision Point brings some significant changes to ballistic shields. While shields can still block incoming fire and protect operators, meleeing with a shield no longer does damage. This removes a frustrating mechanic where shield users could often incapacitate opponents with a well-timed bash, making them far too difficult to deal with in close quarters.​

The suppression effect on shields has also been more potent, discouraging shield players from rushing in too quickly. Taking fire at a shield will slow down and disorient the user more effectively, forcing them to rethink their approach.

Additionally, meleeing a shield will now cause a gradual increase in guard break intensity, meaning successive hits weaken the shield operator’s defense and create openings for attackers.​

This is a positive change for balance, preventing the often overpowered nature of shield-wielding operators, especially in close combat.

Matchmaking Improvements: Fairer, Smarter Games

The Phantom Player algorithm, which debuted this season, aims to improve matchmaking for squads with mixed skill levels. If a team has players of varying skill levels, a mathematical “phantom” sixth player will be added to adjust the overall balance. This ensures that no team gets excessively stacked against them just because one player is far more experienced than the rest.​

Additionally, team rebalancing will kick in if there’s too much disparity between teams regarding skill rating before a match begins. The system will attempt to reshuffle teams to create a more balanced and fair contest, leading to a better overall player experience.​

New Features for Player Protection

Additionally, AI text moderation will scan chat in real-time, removing highly toxic messages and flagging disruptive ones. This should improve the community atmosphere, especially in ranked matches with high emotions.​

Siege Cup and Long-Term Progression

The Siege Cup event now sees a full rollout with no invitation required, allowing players above clearance level 50 to join competitive tournaments. Players will have a chance to earn Competitive Coins, which can be spent on exclusive skins. This is an excellent step toward making Siege more competitive and accessible to all players, regardless of rank or skill level.​

Moreover, a long-term progression system has been introduced to track a player’s rank and reputation. Players can now earn badges for completing specific challenges, showing off their achievements on their operator cards. It’s a neat way to encourage long-term engagement and give players something to strive for​

What Were the Community Anticipation and Reception?

Year 9 Season 4: Operation Collision Point | Launching – Reddit

The community has been excited about Operation Collision Point, especially with the promises of better matchmaking, improved operator balance, and the much-needed crossplay feature. Blackbeard’s remaster, in particular, is seen as a significant win for both casual and competitive players, as his new abilities bring much-needed innovation to a previously underwhelming operator.​

There’s also palpable excitement surrounding the changes to ballistic shields, which have long been a point of contention among players. Removing damage from shield bashes and increasing suppression effects are generally seen as a win for fairer gameplay.​

On the flip side, the introduction of crossplay brings some concerns. While most players are eager to join forces with friends on different platforms, the integration with PC matchmaking has some players worried about potential skill disparities. However, this concern might be alleviated by including separate progress ranks for console and PC players.​

Overall, Operation Collision Point looks set to be one of the most exciting seasons in Rainbow Six Siege. It brings innovation and polish, addressing key pain points while providing fresh content to engage the community. Whether it’s the revamped Blackbeard, the crossplay feature, or the improved player protection, there’s much to be excited about as we head into the future of tactical shooter action.