Rainbow Six Siege’s third “season” of Year 3, Operation Grim Sky, is officially here! This latest update adds two Operators, Maverick and Clash, reworks for the Hereford Base and Consulate maps, a new Elite Set, weapon skins, and more. Ubisoft has been gradually rolling out the update this morning, but it should be available on all platforms as of now.

　　Scheduled Maintenance - Tuesday, September 4th on PC, PS4, and XB1.

　　30 minutes expected downtime.

　　PC: 9:00am EDT / 13:00 UTC

　　PS4: 10:00am EDT / 14:00 UTC

　　XB1: 11:00am EDT / 15:00 UTC

　　- Deploy Operation Grim Sky on all platforms

　　- Updated Patch Notes > https://t.co/yMzwZN0qhY pic.twitter.com/0Ko9mVwJVa

　　— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) September 3, 2018

　　You can get more details on everything included in Operation Grim Sky, right here, but here’s a quick rundown of the biggest additions:

　　New Operators

　　Maverick

　　Maverick’s D.I.Y. blowtorch can breach any surface, including reinforced walls and hatches. It requires a steady hand and knowledge of the environment to create small holes and lines of sight. Maverick must be in close range to use his gadget on the chosen surface. This torch makes almost no sound but it runs out of fuel quickly. Nevertheless, the high precision of this gadget makes it a very creative tool to use hands-on without relying on digital technology. Using the Exothermic-S Torch can be risky but the team can reap high rewards with efficient use and skill.

　　Clash

　　Clash is the first defender with a shield. The CCE Shield is her primary weapon; she can swap to her secondary at any time, but to do so, she needs to put her shield away first. Her bulletproof extendable shield has the ability to slow down opponents by using a high voltage Charged Field Generator (CFG) that emanates directly in front of the shield in a cylindrical shape. Opponents caught in the CFG also sustain low damage over time. Effective use of the shield allows Clash to block entry points, and to prevent or delay a push by the Attackers.

　　Map Rework: Hereford Base

　　The aim of this Hereford Base Map Rework is to address issues pertaining to the map’s flow, balancing, and visual thematic to make the new Hereford Base viable for competitive play. Each floor of the new Hereford Base will have a larger surface area, which also means more destructible floors and walls. New stairs and hatches will be available, allowing for more movement between each floor and increasing the viability of rotations.

　　The map’s visual identity and color palette are also getting an update, giving each floor more personality. Players will find a mix of old-school and modern influences, and thematically distinct rooms. However, the map will still retain its “soul,” making multiple nods to the old Hereford Base.

　　Map Buff: Consulate

　　The sky may look grim but things are looking up on Consulate. The Development Team dusted off some old blueprints and sought ways to improve this Rainbow Six Siege map, taking into account both the Attackers’ and Defenders’ perspectives. The Police Line spawn point will be extended, offering a safer path to the fortified building. As for the Gas Station spawn point, a wall will be moved to prevent spawn peeking and early kills. We’ve also added a fourth bomb site in Tellers and Archives. Time to revise those strats.

　　Ubisoft is also making some additional Operator changes based on test server feedback.

　　Maverick

　　Decreased Blowtorch damage to Barbed WireReplace Smoke Grenades with Stun GrenadesSlighting increase the volume of the BlowtorchHibana

　　Reduce the number of pellets required to destroy a hatch from 6 to 4.Zofia

　　Reduce the number of Concussion Grenades for the KS79 Lifeline from 4 to 3.Glaz

　　OTs-03 is no longer able to destroy Castle’s Armored Panels.Finally, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that the Grim Sky update also introduces dynamic resolution on consoles, which will result in more consistent performance. Here’s how the various platforms line up:

　　Xbox One outputs at 900p with a render scaling between 40% (1012×572) and 80% (1432×804).PS4 outputs at 1080p with a render scaling between 40% (1216×684) and 80% (1720×968).Xbox One X outputs at 1728p with a render scaling between 40% (1944×1092) and 100% (3072×1728).PS4 Pro outputs at 1440p with a render scaling between 40% (1620×912) and 100% (2560×1440).Rainbow Six Siege is available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.