The next season for Rainbow Six Siege, North Star, was recently announced, and it looks pretty bloody great. On top of reworking a map from the ground up, it also adds a brand new Operator to mix up the formula that you’re used to in the game. It’s a time for the Siege community that’s always pretty great because there’s this anticipation around the new stuff that feels tangible and real. More than anything, right now I just can’t get over how good the new season looks, to the point that I may just jump onto the Test Server to try it out for the first time ever.
The map getting a rework this season is Favela. This is a map that was never actually designed for competitive play, but that’s exactly what it’s fallen into. Now, the developers have rebuilt it from the ground up. When I say the ground up, I mean that. This map is pretty much unrecognisable, although the DNA of the original is still very much there. What I love most about it though is the shift from day to night, making it feel like you’re cracking an operation in the middle of some big festival, saving the day in style.
The new Operator is Thunderbird. She’s got a gadget that can actually be used by both teams in a match. It’s a deployable healing station that prioritises Defenders and those with low health. Anyone who walks into its radius can get a boost though, including Attackers. This makes it perfect for the Attacking team to run in and capture. Here’s the thing though, you could use it as bait if you’re the Defenders, drawing out the Attackers to kill them all off. It’s an interesting device that I’m keen to see in the main game because I think it’ll change the standard Siege formula in dramatic ways.
This season is going to be the best of 2021. Crimson Heist was good, but I really think that this is where Siege is going to peak for the year, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it. Sure, there’s a steep learning curve, but it’s worth it to get in on such a great shooter.