Rainbow Six Siege Operation Shadow Legacy Preview: All The Right Moves

Rainbow Six: Siege has continued to grow since its launch in late 2015, and in many ways, the game's next Operation, Shadow Legacy (it's third of Year 5), feels like the culmination of everything Ubisoft Montreal has been working towards.

While most of the game's operations add fresh Operators (the game's character classes) to the mix, there's a sizeable number of quality of life changes that make this expansion feel like the opening of a new chapter for Siege.

That's not to say there isn't a new operator, though -- and this one is a familiar face. Sam Fisher, codenamed "Zero", arrives as part of the update, and the team has done a great job of tweaking the Splinter Cell star's weapons and characteristics into Siege's tactical shooter frame.

You can check out our full character guide here, but the short version is that Zero's Argus cameras can tear through breakable walls and surfaces to create two-sided cameras, while also sticking to impenetrable ones.

Each of the cameras can fire a single laser, too, so you can eliminate enemy gadgets, or even deal minor damage to opponents.

As has been the case for a few seasons, there's a new map rework coming, and this time it's Chalet getting the overhaul. The map not only looks better but has smart changes that longtime fans will want to learn.

Players can now get onto the roof, as well as an entirely new hallway, and rejigged stairs. For more, you can check out our Chalet guide here.

Elsewhere, there are a number of huge additions that make Siege more accessible, customisable, and friendly for players that aren't comfortable using mics.

For one, players can select a new sight colour for reticules to allow colourblind players to enjoy the game, with the game suggesting options based on three forms of colourblindness.

Maps can now also be banned from a match before beginning in a similar way to the Operator ban system. This means if you really don't want to play the reworked Chalet map, you can opt to ban it from the round.

Then there's the Ping 2.0 system that feels like a natural extension of Siege's existing setup, while also taking cues from the likes of Apex Legends. Players can ping operators, gadgets, or suggest attack routes.

Then there are fresh changes to the mechanics of a standard match in Siege, beginning with optics.

There are now four different magnification levels for the game's scopes, rebalancing existing weapons and hopefully adding some much-needed variety to the usual ACOG-heavy Operator setups (ACOG is now a 2.5x zoom, if you were wondering).

Each defending team will also now have a pool of ten reinforcements to use, meaning defending teams that are barricading walls are now capable of ensuring every option is covered, even if a teammate heads off roaming. It's a smart change that, like the new ping system, should make unranked matches that little bit more coordinated.

Attackers aren't being left out, either. They'll now be able to carry hard-breaching charges as a secondary gadget. These have a very short timer, though, so you won't want to be standing too close when they go off.

Finally, there are also changes to what happens after a game. Players will be able to check their stats in the new "MY SIEGE STATS" section of the game's website, as well as find players to squad up with for next time.

There's also a full Match Replay function, allowing players to see what they could've done differently and plan new strategies.

All in all, it looks to be a huge update, as Siege continues to grow.

We've interviewed the team behind the update, so look out for that feature in the coming days.