Rainbow Six Siege Y10S3 - Blackbeard Nerf, Loadout Shifts & Fresh Operator

Sep 3

Ubisoft’s Year 10 Season 3 update for Rainbow Six Siege delivers one of the most impactful mid-year shakeups we’ve seen in a while. Nearly a dozen operators received loadout adjustments aimed at balancing playstyles, Blackbeard finally took a nerf, and a new operator joins the Siege team. In this breakdown, we’ll examine the major changes, assess their potential impact on competitive play, and highlight key areas the update still leaves unaddressed.

The Deltas

When breaking down the latest update, it’s impossible to ignore the win-rate vs. presence deltas, along with operator pick and ban rates. Ubisoft has repeatedly emphasized that these numbers are central to how they decide which operators to nerf - and just as importantly, which ones to leave untouched.

One of the biggest standouts is Ace. He sits near the very top of the pick-rate charts (second only to Ash) and carries a consistently strong win percentage, especially on console. Combine that with his massive 60-80% ban rate, and it raises the obvious question: how long can Ubisoft avoid tuning him down? While no nerf has been announced, Ace’s current stats practically guarantee he’s on their radar.

On the other end of the spectrum, we find Clash. Despite early fears that her rework would make her unbearable to play against, her pick rate and win percentage are both surprisingly low. What looked like an overpowered menace on the test server has turned into one of the least impactful operators in live play. Unless her stats spike, Ubisoft seems unlikely to make changes to her anytime soon.

A couple of questions naturally come up here:

What kind of nerf could Ubisoft apply to Ace that reins him in without gutting him?
Why has Clash’s “insane” buff fallen flat in practice?

Lastly, let’s talk ban rates overall. Ace dominates the attacker bans by a wide margin, followed by Thermite, Blackbeard, Dokkaebi, and - strangely enough - No Ban. On PC, “No Ban” sits at an 8% rate, equal to Blitz and Thatcher, and even higher than Montagne’s 5%. This suggests a mix of AFK players at the ban screen and teams simply not knowing what to target once Ace and Blackbeard are gone.

Blackbeard Nerf

Blackbeard’s nerfs this season are a mixed bag. He now un-ADS’s more slowly (a minor change), can’t ADS while rappelling through a window (basically nothing), loses his shield protection while reloading, and has his AR mag reduced from 25 to 20 rounds - a noticeable shift. He also can’t rappel through intact windows (again, not much of a change), and his Kool-Aid-style wall dashes are cut from four to three. Realistically, most Blackbeards weren’t surviving long enough to smash through four walls anyway, so that tweak feels negligible.

BB has been one of the most frustrating operators to face in recent seasons, but the silver lining is that you typically only deal with him once before banning him. The problem? Blitz and Monty are still in the game, so even if Blackbeard gets toned down, shield frustrations won’t disappear.

Do these changes fix the Blackbeard problem? Not really. The core issue is untouched: he still has a rifle behind a face shield, and with a quick ADS, he can melt you before you land a perfect headshot. Finka boosts, crouch, lean and a+d spams only make him scarier. The ammo reduction and reload shield fold force him to play a little safer, but they don’t fundamentally change how oppressive he feels in certain situations and when he has a decent team supporting him.

At his core, Blackbeard remains strong. His DMR is still a solid alternative, his AR still shreds, and his shield still demands pixel-perfect headshots. If anything, expect complaints about Blackbeard to simply share the spotlight with Blitz - because as long as he can snap-ADS behind a shield, the cries of frustration aren’t going anywhere.

Loadout Changes

There are a ton of tweaks this season, so let’s sprint through them:

Echo - Now a 2-armor/2-speed and lost his ACOG.
Hello, Echo shotgun meta.
Fenrir - Lost the Bailiff.
Fair change.
Lesion - Lost his secondary shotgun.
Another fair tweak - Lesion was already a roamer’s dream pick.
Oryx - Gained the Reaper MK2 machine pistol.
Probably won’t change much. His pick rate may rise this season only because he still has the Bailiff and solid primaries, while others are losing their shotguns. The machine pistol itself? Doubtful it sees much use.
Pulse - Also gained the Reaper MK2.
A spicy one. Ranked players love finding excuses to run Pulse’s shotgun for vertical plays, and this gives them another tool. Expect his pick rate to tick upward.
Rook - Gained the Reaper MK2 and a C4, but lost his ACOG.
Seeing Rook without an ACOG will be strange. The C4 is nice, but not enough to offset the loss - especially when Tub still offers ACOG, strong utility, and a C4. Rook’s pick rate will likely take a dive.
Sentry - Gained the TCSG12 slug shotgun.
This may result in an increase in his pick rate. Not because of the shotgun addition, but because of the ACOG. Every op that still holds a way for Defenders to take long-range engagements with a high time-to-kill weapon will likely see an increase in pick rate.
Sledge - Gained the Reaper MK2.
Nice upgrade, but Buck and Ram remain better picks. Sledge’s slower vertical destruction and bulkier kit hold him back. If you see him, it’ll be because someone prefers him, not because he’s optimal.
Striker - Gained the SR-25 DMR.
Another case where the gun swap won’t shift much. Striker is mainly valued for his two secondary gadget slots (like EMPs and Hard Breach). The DMR might get some use, but won’t redefine his role.
Wamai - Gained the Super Shorty.
This is the big one. Operators who gain or lose the Super Shorty almost always see their pick rate shift. Expect Wamai to become a lot more popular.
Ying - Gained the Reaper MK2.
A fun change more than a meta one. Running a shotgun on attack is always entertaining when it works, but don’t expect this to make Ying a must-pick.

Operators that lost ACOGs:
Castle, Doc, Echo, Frost, Goyo, Rook, Tachanka.

The ACOG removals are a nice step, but let’s not forget: DMRs on defense are still monsters - and they’re keeping their ACOGs. Sure, it’s satisfying to see Doc mains finally take a hit, but operators like Tubarão and Aruni still have theirs intact. Don’t be surprised if their pick rates climb as players shift to whoever can still hold long angles with DMR power.

Denari (The New Operator)

As with every recent season, a new operator has joined Siege X, and Denari looks poised to stir things up.

Loadout: His weapon kit is strong out of the gate. With access to the Scorpion EVO (Ela’s SMG) and the FMG-9 (Nøkk’s SMG), he can flex between close-quarters dominance with the Scorpion or longer-range control with the FMG. He also brings a new slug shotgun as a secondary. It doesn’t look busted on paper, but time will tell how much value players can squeeze out of it.

Gadget: This is where things get interesting. Denari throws small half-dome-shaped devices onto surfaces, and when two or more are placed close together, they create a “trip wire” laser - essentially a single-line version of Aruni’s gate. Despite being just one beam, it still zaps attackers for nearly the same damage as a full Aruni gate.

The frustration comes when Denari stacks them. Multiple wires across a doorway or the floor can force attackers to waste several pieces of utility just to clear a path. Depending on how many gadgets he commits, one choke point can chew through an entire team’s resources.

First Impressions: Denari will likely prove very annoying to face, and could easily swing clutch situations - especially when a low-HP attacker is forced to cross his wires. Compared to other launch operators like Tubarão, Fenrir, or Azami, he feels more counterable, but he’ll probably still need tuning before he settles into a balanced spot.

What’s Missing

It feels repetitive at this point, but it has to be said: this update still doesn’t directly address the cheating problem. To Ubisoft’s credit, they did acknowledge the issue last season and pushed out hotfixes aimed at curbing the epidemic. And to be fair, I’ve at least noticed more cheaters actually getting banned - something that wasn’t happening at all during the first two months of last season.

That said, cheaters remain a persistent issue across Siege (and honestly, across most shooters). Ubisoft appears to be making an effort, but meaningful fixes take both time and money. For now, all we can do is wait and see if this season feels any cleaner than the last.

Opinion Part

Ubisoft put real effort into marketing Siege X to bring players back - but the results haven’t matched the push. Since launch, the PC player count has dropped by roughly 60,000 players, and while the cheating epidemic is a big factor, boredom is another. Many players feel like the game has gone stale.

The casual playlist offers variety, but competitive players are stuck with only two real options: Ranked and (to an extent) Unranked. Casual modes are fun if you’re just killing time, but for players who want something engaging, they’re either too easy, too unbalanced, or too chaotic. Ranked, meanwhile, can be exhausting - especially when cheaters or the endless map repetition set in.

What Siege desperately needs are additional competitive game modes to freshen up the experience and re-engage lapsed players. A few ideas that could help:

Vanilla Siege Mode - Only original operators are playable (no Ace, Clash, Fenrir, etc.), offering a throwback to the game’s fundamentals.
Secure Area / Hostage - While not as balanced as Bomb, these modes can break monotony and offer refreshing alternatives.
Ranked Variants of Casual Modes - Adding matchmaking and ranking systems to secondary modes (even Deathmatch) could create fairer lobbies and more engaging experiences for players who still want to “sweat” without grinding Ranked endlessly.

The issue with casual right now is the mismatch of intent: half the lobby plays seriously, the other half is just goofing around. A proper ranking system for these alternative modes would align players of similar skill and motivation, making every match more enjoyable.

If Ubisoft wants to keep Siege alive long-term, injecting variety into its competitive structure might be just as important as new operators and balance patches.

Conclusion

Year 10 Season 3 of Rainbow Six Siege brings plenty of shakeups: from sweeping loadout changes and a long-awaited Blackbeard nerf to the arrival of Denari, a fresh operator who could prove both innovative and frustrating. Ubisoft continues to refine the game’s balance, but lingering issues like cheating and a lack of competitive variety still hold Siege back from fully thriving. This update moves the needle, but whether it’s enough to re-energize the player base seems unlikely.

TL:DR – Y10S3 Highlights

Biggest Nerf: Blackbeard’s AR mag reduced to 20 rounds, shield drops while reloading. Still strong, still frustrating.
New Operator (Denari): Strong SMG kit, new slug shotgun, and a gadget that creates zap-wire trip lines. Likely annoying, possibly needing nerfs.
Loadout Changes:

Wamai gains the Super Shorty (expect higher pick rate).
Echo, Rook, and others lose ACOGs.
Several ops pick up the new Reaper MK2 machine pistol.

Deltas: Ace’s stats scream “nerf me,” while Clash has underperformed despite buffs.
What’s Missing: No real progress update on the cheating issue.
Opinion: Siege needs more competitive variety—new ranked modes or classic playlists—to keep players engaged long-term.

Derek Finn