Rainbow Six Siege Y9S4.2 Update: Sledge Buffs, Kapkan Nerfs, and Meta-Shaking Changes!

Rainbow Six Siege has received a new update, Y9S4.2, introducing significant changes to the game’s meta. The update features the long-awaited buffs to Sledge and a controversial adjustment to Kapkan. Fans have been requesting improvements for Sledge for years, and Ubisoft has finally delivered.

Operation Collision Point, released in December, introduced cross-platform play, a rework for Blackbeard, and many other features. Now, the latest update has the potential to shake up the game’s balance even further.

Key Changes in the Y9S4.2 Update

Sledge received a buff that increases his movement speed but reduces his health. This adjustment addresses a long-standing concern that his slow movement made him vulnerable while performing his soft-breach role. With these changes, Sledge could become one of the most popular attackers in the game.

On the other hand, Kapkan underwent a controversial change. The Nitro Cell (C4) has been removed from his loadout and replaced with Barbed Wire. Many players see this as a downgrade, arguing that the Nitro Cell was essential for finishing off enemies who survived his EDD traps. Barbed Wire, in contrast, may expose the traps, reducing their effectiveness. Kapkan has been a top-tier trap operator, and it remains to be seen how this change will impact his popularity.

Another debated change is the removal of Ram’s secondary weapon, the ITA12S. While some agree that its removal was necessary to balance her kit, others argue it was invaluable for destroying hatches. Meanwhile, Vigil received a nerf, as his weapon's damage drop-off was adjusted to align with other shotguns. Several other tweaks were made to weapons and operators, potentially altering the game’s meta.

Rainbow Six Siege Y9S4.2 Update Patch Notes

Operator Balancing

Oryx

• Reduced recovery time when dashing to 0.2 seconds (from 0.5).
• Recovery after dashing into a wall: 0.3 seconds (from 0.5).
• Recovery after dashing into an enemy: 0.1 seconds (from 0.5).

Kapkan

• Removed Nitro Cell.
• Added Barbed Wire.

Lesion

• Mine refill time increased to 30 seconds (from 25).
• Maximum mines reduced to 8 (from 9).

Buck

• Removed Hard Breach Charge.
• Added Claymore.

Ram

Sledge

• Health reduced to 2 (from 3).
• Speed increased to 2 (from 1).

Weapon Balancing

TCSG12

• Increased damage to 75 (from 63).

G36C

• Reduced vertical and lateral recoil.

Weapon Classes

Slug Shotguns:

• Damage drop-off now starts at 15 meters (from 25).
• Ends at 25 meters (from 35).
• Minimum damage reduced to 60% (from 70%).

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed issue where matches wouldn't end after majority votes to cancel a round.
• Fixed signal loss for Observation Tools deployed at surface edges while moving sideways.

Level Design

• Fixed ability to vault through red defender area walls at the end of the preparation phase.
• Addressed collision exploits on maps like House, Kanal, and Border.

Operators

• Fixed issues with Blackbeard’s shield visuals, stats, and animations.
• Fixed Ash’s breaching round not syncing correctly with rappel mechanics.

User Experience

• Resolved skin availability issues for Tachanka’s Elite Slava Korolyu set.
• Updated Breach Charge details in the Battle Pass menu.

Audio

• Fixed out-of-sync sprint sound effects for Blackbeard.

These changes bring both exciting updates and divisive tweaks, leaving the Rainbow Six Siege community eager to see their impact on gameplay.