Rainbow Six players can use drones after death in North Star revamp

Andrew Amos

In one of the biggest Rainbow Six gameplay reworks to date, players will be able to use their drones after dying, and more, in Operation North Star. The new “after death” system will go live for testing on the TTS after the update launches in June.

While new Agent Thunderbird and the Favela rework are dominating the headlines, Ubisoft are shipping a pretty massive change in Operation North Star that’ll fundamentally change the way Siege is played.

Since first revealing the concept at the Year 6 launch back in February, “after death activities” are finally coming to Rainbow Six.

Rainbow Six: Siege Y5S4.3 Patch
If you die early in Operation North Star, you can still use your utility thanks to “after death activities.”

The new gameplay system will allow players to use their own drones and cameras after death in a more active manner.

Instead of dying and flicking from camera to camera, if you have a drone on the battlefield, you can drive it around to new positions. You can also use stored shots on Twitch’s drone and Zero’s Argus cameras to destroy defender utility.

Defenders haven’t been left behind though. Mozzie drones, Echo Yokais, and Maestro Evil Eyes can all be used after death, so losing them in the early round won’t be a death knell anymore.

However, there are a couple of caveats. You won’t be able to deploy new utility after you die ⁠— whatever is on the board is what you have. On top of that, you can only use your own utility, so you can’t drive your ally’s Twitch drone around for them.

Twitch drone Rainbow Six
You can only use your own utility after death; no driving your ally Twitch’s drone around.

The feature is intended to reduce player downtime and offer more ways for players to support their team and have an impact on the round.

This is also especially handy for newer players, who can get used to how droning works ⁠— and be more involved in the game ⁠— after getting wiped out early.

The feature is being tested during Operation North Star, which goes live on the TTS on May 25. The “after death activities” feature will not launch onto live immediately, unlike the Favela rework and new operator Thunderbird.

About The Author

Hailing from Perth, Andrew was formerly Dexerto's Australian Managing Editor. They love telling stories across all games and esports, but they have a soft spot for League of Legends and Rainbow Six. Oh, and they're also fascinated by the rise of VTubers.