In "Rainbow Six Siege" Year 5 and Year 6, Ubisoft is spending less time sending out new operators and more time improving the ones it already has. The long-awaited rework of Lord Tachanka is the first result of this effort, and speaking to PC Gamer at Six Invitational 2020, game director Leroy Athanassoff discussed another operator in need of a major rework: Crash."
"We have a problem with Crash," Athanassoff said. Because in this game there is a problem with the shields. It's super frustrating. As we have told you in the past, we feel that shield operators take a hell of a beating, but Crash is a special case. Unlike Montagne's purely defensive extended shield, Crush's is capable of slowing down taser-wielding enemies. Fighting Crush is like trying to punch a wall while running through molasses.
When Crush was released in 2018, Ubi envisioned her as a support operator who spends her time zapping instead of shooting. If she needed to participate in a firefight, she would have to find a safe place to put away her shield.
Problems arose when players quickly discovered another way to play Clash. To avoid being unprotected for the brief moment that Clash draws her gun, the player quickly turns around to block bullets with the shield attached to her back and turns around again when she is ready to shoot. For many players, this is a frustrating play style that goes against her intended design. Frustration with her cheap spin shot has made her one of the most banned operators on defense.
Athanassoff shares players' concerns and intends to do something about it. He says, "A lot of people complain about playing against Crash, but even playing as Crash isn't super fun." She's a really good candidate for a rework." As for a release date, he said only that it would be in the fifth or sixth year.
Another operator that is getting a lot of attention at Ubi is Amaru, according to lead game designer Jean-Baptiste Halle. Despite being a recent addition to Siege, Amaru is one of the worst operators in Siege. The process of firing her grappling hook is so slow and loud that she is often killed when used as intended.
When interviewed by PC Gamer, Halle expressed regret for the current balance of grappling hook users. He said, "I think we were a little too conservative when we released Amal. We were a little afraid of the idea of her coming into the room at super speed and killing everyone. We definitely feel there is a little more room to shine and a little less punishing of her for using her grappling hooks."
In many ways, the solution to Amal's problem can be found in Oryx, a new defender who can climb through hatches or hang over the edge to scout ahead. He has the same weaknesses as Amaru, but is quieter in his climb and can catch attackers by surprise; Halle said that there is no official release date for the changes to Amaru, but it is something that Siege's balance team is currently considering.
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