Rainbow Six Y8S1 patch notes: New attacker Brava, operator balancing, bug fixes & more

Sourav Banik
an image of Brava in Rainbow Six

Rainbow Six has finally stepped into its eighth year and brought a ton of meta-shifting changes to the game. Here’s everything you need to know about the Y8S1 Commanding Force patch notes for R6.

Rainbow has kicked off its eighth year with Operation Commanding Force, preparing players for the first update of the year. The Y8S1 patch includes changes that have the potential to change the entire meta of the game.

A new attacker, Brava, has made its debut along with several other new features like Mousetrap for consoles, Reputation Penalty, operator balancing, bug fixes, and a lot more.

So, if you are wondering what’s new in Year 8 Season 1, here’s a rundown of everything included with the new update.

What’s new in Rainbow Six Y8S1?

New attacker “Brava” and other operator changes

Brava is undoubtedly the main attraction of the first season of Year 9 of Rainbow Six. She has a unique ability where her main gadget, Kludge Drone, can sabotage opponents’ electronic devices, making them a nightmare for the defenders.

From this year, players won’t be able to enjoy the luxury of reload cancellation. It has now been reworked – you will have only a single bullet at any point while reloading or interrupting the animation. Zero’s Argus camera also went through an upgrade. Zero can now command his cameras to pierce through surfaces. He along with his teammates can now swap to surveil either side at will unless eliminated.

New penalty systems introduced

As we gradually move to the middle of Y8S1, console players can finally have a sigh of relief. A penalty called Mousetrap will get activated for players who use a mouse & keyboard on consoles. The penalty will add a lag to their inputs, thereby aiming to remove the unfair advantage. This means these players will have a hard time aiming and shooting, as the lag increases over several matches but it gradually reduces back to normal by completing matches with a controller.

Apart from that, a new penalty system for abusive voice chat has also been introduced. This means players who’ve frequently abused voice chat will get an active penalty for 30 matches. While this penalty is active, the players will get muted by default to prevent hateful and disruptive content in voice chat. Muted players can still use voice chat but will only be heard by players who unmute them.

You can find the full Rainbow Six patch Y8S1 notes below, courtesy of Ubisoft.

official operation commanding force patch notes
Brava can be a nightmare for every defender this season.

Rainbow Six patch Y8S1 notes

Player Comfort

BRAVA

At season launch, Brava’s Kludge Drone will overload Aruni’s Surya Gate rather than convert it, meaning that it will deactivate but remain a Defender device.

This is a temporary fix until an issue with conversion between these two devices is resolved in a later update.

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

  • FIXED – Defuser can’t be picked up while sprinting.
  • FIXED – Operator Card health bar extends beyond the frame during the end of round replay.
  • FIXED – Operators can melee through Shields.
  • FIXED – Misleading controller layout for Spectator.
  • FIXED – Ammo desync between players shooting after the reload is finished.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Camera floats in the air if it was deployed on Castle’s Armor Panel and Defenders remove it from the other side.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Camera can’t pierce the surface if there was a device on the other side while the camera deployed.
  • FIXED – Clipping occurs when deploying a device onto an elevated surface.
  • FIXED – Dokkaebi can hack an additional phone if two more Defenders are eliminated.
  • FIXED – Low performance while rewinding or fast-forwarding in Match Replay.
  • FIXED – Match Replay UI widgets have arrows displayed incorrectly.
  • FIXED – Incorrect behavior after pressing ESC key when affected by Dokkaebi’s Logic Bomb as an eliminated Defender.
  • FIXED – Incorrect animation while counter-defusing.
  • FIXED – Play Again button in the Home section doesn’t display the last-played playlist.
  • FIXED – VFX and SFX for out of bounds occur briefly while respawning.

Level Design

  • FIXED – Azami’s Kiba Barrier at certain angles allows players to vault vegetation near the stairs at 2F CC Stairs on Nighthaven Map.

Operators

  • FIXED – Clipping present during deploy and pickup animations while rappelling as Osa.
  • FIXED – Missing VFX and SFX on Flores’s RCE-Ratero Charge.
  • FIXED – Mute must fully finish equipping the Signal Disruptor before he can deploy it.
  • FIXED – Solis’ SPEC-IO Electro-Sensor HUD remains displayed on her kill cam after being eliminated.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Launcher crosshair incorrectly displays that it can pierce metal floor beams.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Camera uses incorrect SFX when piercing a reinforced wall.
  • FIXED – Mute’s Signal Disruptor unequip animation is played too fast.
  • FIXED – Lion’s EE-One-D is reflecting onto the ground indoors and outdoors.
  • FIXED – Sledge cannot equip the Breaching Hammer while in ADS.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Launcher screen isn’t displaying anything.
  • FIXED – Brava’s left arm clips into her weapon in the Home section animation.
  • FIXED – Operators lose functionality after attempting to pick up a throwable device while Brava’s Kludge Drone is converting it.
  • FIXED – Devices aren’t deactivated after being converted by Brava’s Kludge Drone if they’re deployed near Mute’s Signal Disruptor.
  • FIXED – Nøkk’s HEL Presence Reduction isn’t detected by Solis’ SPEC-IO Electro Sensor.
  • FIXED – No scoring points are awarded for converting opponent devices with Brava’s Kludge Drone.
  • FIXED – Misplaced LED on Brava’s Kludge Drone.
  • FIXED – Wave VFX displays for enemy devices converted by Brava’s Kludge Drone on IQ’s Electronic Detector.
  • FIXED – Brava’s Kludge Drone has White LED lights instead of the selected Team Color while moving.
  • FIXED – Nøkk’s D-50 does not use the new reload system when reloading after firing the single round.
  • FIXED – Brava’s Kludge Drone LED is visible in first person while using the drone.
  • FIXED – Brava’s squad is missing from her bio.

User Experience

  • FIXED – Reloading shotgun with one round in the chamber creates invisible shots in walls.
  • FIXED – Incorrect render scaling setting while FSR is turned on.
  • FIXED – Several navigation issues in the Operator Guide.
  • FIXED – Rubber banding occurs occasionally at the beginning of the Action Phase in online multiplayer playlists.
  • FIXED – Various information issues in the Spectator HUD.
  • FIXED – Custom Game button has no text in Korean, Thai or Arabic.
  • FIXED – The dynamic button for Situations will suggest the CQB Basics instead of Article 5.
  • FIXED – All voice lines for time remaining play when a Custom Game round begins with Preparation Phase timer set to 0s.
  • FIXED – Various reload rework issues.
  • FIXED – Can reload faster on some weapons by cancelling the animation.
  • FIXED – CAMRS and POF-9 weapons create an extra magazine in the map if the reload is cancelled by shooting a bullet.
  • FIXED – Maestro’s Evil Eye can’t fire after Dokkaebi hacks Defender Observation Tools.
  • FIXED – The player needs to input left – left -right to regain focus on the Operator Guide when there are no Operator Cards visible on Match Replay.
  • FIXED – Mozzie’s Pest Launcher can’t reload if the first Pest is shot again after being picked up.
  • FIXED – Incorrect name of Drone Skins category displayed in the Appearance section.
  • FIXED – Brava’s Kludge Drone LED color is desaturated and missing the glow VFX.
  • FIXED – Zero’s Argus Camera VFX overlay remains on screen for the player spectating whoever used the camera while Brava’s Kludge Drone converted it.
  • FIXED – Observation Tool VFX overlay remains on screen for the player spectating whoever used the camera while Brava’s Kludge Drone converted it.
  • FIXED – Mozzie’s Pest is not affected by converted Mute’s Signal Disruptor when it’s shot from outside of its area.
  • FIXED – Attackers are not kicked out of the Observation Tool after a hack.
  • FIXED – Maestro’s Evil Eye VFX remains visible on support mode right after being converted by Brava’s Kludge Drone.
  • FIXED – Overlapping UI elements on Brava’s Parade Companion drone skin.
  • FIXED – Various Operator icon issues.
  • FIXED – Wrong ammo count displayed on the HUD while operating Brava’s Kludge Drone.
  • FIXED – Reload prompt is incorrectly displayed when performing a normal reload on weapon while Buck’s Skeleton Key has one bullet left.
  • FIXED – Hack VFX of Brava’s Kludge Drone remains visible when spectating a player using the converted Observation Tool.
  • FIXED – Brava’s Kludge Drone hack completes before the progress bar is full.
  • FIXED – Brava’s Kludge Drone can overheat Defenders’ dropped phones, preventing Dokkaebi from hacking them.
  • FIXED – Inconsistent icon sizes when detecting Operator devices with IQ’s Electronics Detector.
  • FIXED – Ability Skin thumbnails fail to display when changing their skin to default and back.
  • FIXED – The round timer UI element is shorter during the Planning Phase if the previous rounded ended while the defuser was planted.
  • FIXED – If Wamai’s Mag-NET was converted by Brava’s Kludge Drone, picking up a Defender throwable midair while the Mag-NET is capturing it will cause a looping SFX.
  • FIXED – If a Defender is using an Observation Tool while Brava’s Kludge Drone converts it, the light doesn’t change team colors.
  • FIXED – Player in a Custom Game lobby can’t change their ready state while someone is requesting to switch teams.
  • FIXED – Various Localization issues.
  • FIXED – LOD issues on various maps.
  • FIXED – Various Shop and Customization issues.
  • FIXED – Aim and shoot inputs are both on the “L2” button for the Lefty controller layout when the Aim option is set to Toggle.
  • FIXED – Redirect not working when accessing the View Item button on the side-panel of the News menu.
  • FIXED – Cleared tag is missing from cleared Breach Path tile preview of the Battle Pass.
  • FIXED – Weapon skin fullscreen view is missing the Operator icons when redirected from the News section.
  • FIXED – Missing animated tag for weapon skins.
  • FIXED – The transparent background layer in the Reputation section doesn’t cover the entire screen when the Menu Display Area option or certain aspect ratios are used.
  • FIXED – The amount of missing currency is incorrect in the “Get Currency Packs” side panel when a player doesn’t have enough R6 Credits to buy Battle Pass Levels.
  • FIXED – Notification marker for new content available fails to display on Battle Pass tile.
  • FIXED – Button to “Unlock all Rewards” remains functional after unlocking all levels resulting in incorrect messages displayed.
  • FIXED – Completed personal challenges aren’t displayed in the Post-Action Report.

Player Experience

  • FIXED – Duplicated notifications are displayed.
  • FIXED – Mouse sticks to top left corner of screen when closing the game.
  • FIXED – Charms purchased through the View More section don’t move to owned list
  • FIXED – Sanction ribbon doesn’t use alternate title for permanent sanctions.

Audio

  • FIXED – Duplicate SFX plays when deploying Breach Charge on a breakable wall.
  • FIXED – Audio inconsistencies can be heard by opponents.
  • FIXED – Wrong SFX plays for toggles in the Options menu.
  • FIXED – Drone SFX remains active for player if drone is destroyed by Vigil.
  • FIXED – Vigil’s ERC-7 SFX plays on loop for the droning Attacker who observed Vigil activate and deactivate his ability.

So, there you have it — that’s everything included with Rainbow 6’s Y8S1 patch notes. Be sure to check our gaming page for all the latest news and content.

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About The Author

Sourav is a Games Writer at Dexerto, specializing in writing tips and guides for a number of games, including Apex Legends, Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo 4, Palworld, The Finals, XDefiant, and occasionally Tech. He is also passionate about esports, following games such as Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege. He previously wrote for Sportskeeda. Contact Sourav at sourav.banik@dexerto.com