Rainbow Six Siege Y8S4 Operation Deep Freeze: Release date, new operator, map, more

Operation Deep Freeze, the fourth and final season of Rainbow Six Siege Year 8 is almost here with a new operator, map, playlist changes, and a lot more on the way. Here’s a rundown of everything arriving with Rainbow Six Y8S4 including the release date of the new season.

Year 8 Season 4 brings Operation Deep Freeze to Rainbow 6 Siege, letting players delve into a plethora of changes in the game. Some of the upcoming season’s highlights include a brand-new operator, map, some reworks, and not to forget, a change in meta.

Sadly, a beloved game mode also bids adieu with the new season and an AI playlist is here to replace it. With that said, here’s a rundown of everything on the way with Rainbow Six Siege Y8S4 Operation Deep Freeze.

Contents

• Operation Deep Freeze release date
• New Defender ‘Tubarao’
• Tubarao’s weapons and gadgets
• New map ‘Lair’
• Defender AI playlist & Frag Grenade rework
• New ‘Marketplace’

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deep Freeze release date

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deep Freeze releases on December 6, 2023. It was initially set to release on November 28 but Ubisoft decided to postpone it at the last moment “for further testing to ensure the best possible experience for players”.

Ubisoft extended their Y8S4 Test Servers from November 29 to December 5, 2023, until 9 PM UTC. The ongoing season, Operation Heavy Mettle, ends on December 6 as well and the next season will follow immediately with the release of Operation Deep Freeze, which is the fourth and final season of Rainbow 6 until Year 9 content comes and takes over.

Operation Deep Freeze introduces “Tubarao”, the new Defender

Ubisoft

Tubarao is the new operator in Y8S4.

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deep Freeze introduces Tubarao, the new operator hailing from Ponta Delgada in Portugal. He belongs to the Wolfguard group which includes the likes of Doc, Rook, Thunderbird, Twitch, and more.

His primary gadget, the Zoto Canister, is a throwable device that sticks to surfaces, releases a freezing gas, deactivates gadgets, exposes footprints, and slows down attacks. This means Tubarao can be an excellent operator to pair with other defenders like Bandit and Pulse.

Rainbow 6 Tubarao weapons and gadgets

Ubisoft

Tubarao’s primary gadget is unique.

Tubarao will be a 2 Health 2 Speed defender in Rainbow 6 Y8S4. Here’s what his arsenal looks like in Operation Deep Freeze:

• Primary Weapons: MPX, AR-15.50
• Secondary Weapons: P226 MK 25
• Primary Gadget: Zoto Canister (a total of four)
• Secondary Gadgets: Nitro Cell, Proximity Alarm

The Zoto Cannister can prove to be quite handy when it comes to deactivating destructive gadgets temporarily. It can slow down attacks, giving defenders the chance to get a breather and plan out the remaining of the round in their favor.

Rainbow 6 brings a new map, ‘Lair’

Ubisoft

Lair is the latest map brought with R6 Y8S4.

Lair is the new map that Operation Deep Freeze brings along and it’s a secret headquarters in the middle of a giant cave! It has a ton of entry points for Attackers and features a total of four bomb sites.

Defenders might have a hard time defending this map without proper strategies as they can get shot down from a multitude of angles. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how good Lair proves to be in the competitive R6 scene.

Defender AI playlist & Frag Grenade rework

A new Defender AI playlist will debut with Operation Deep Freeze, replacing Terrorist Hunt, colloquially known as ‘THunt’. This playlist gives you the option to either go solo or find four more teammates against a stack of five AI bots. The scenarios mimic casual matches.

Frag Grenades have been reworked in the new season. Starting Y8S4, you can’t cook these grenades anymore. Meaning, gone are the days when you yellow ping a spot beneath a defender’s floor and get an easy frag. This has been done to not make these gadgets as powerful as a primary utility.

The frag grenades will now function in a similar way as stun grenades. This means it will fuze 2 seconds after bouncing off a surface. Some more operators like IQ, Lion, Sens, Osa, and Blackbeard have got these grenades now.

Rainbow 6 Siege Marketplace beta

Marketplace is a new concept in Rainbow 6 where you can trade items with the community using in-game Credits. Remember, the Credits are the premium currency of the game unlike Renown, which you earn by playing matches.

This will include different cosmetics, headgear, and a lot more. In Y8S4, the Marketplace will launch followed by a full release in Year 9. To get access to the Marketplace beta, you need to register which you can do from Ubisoft’s official website.

That’s a complete rundown of the new Operation Deep Freeze in Rainbow Six Siege. While you’re still here, why not check some of our other R6 content and guides below:

Rainbow Six Siege ranks explained | Is Rainbow Six Siege worth playing in 2023? | Rainbow Six Siege cross-progression support | Rainbow Six Siege on PC and mobile difference | Difference between Rainbow Six Siege Vulkan versus normal | How to get Renown fast in Rainbow Six Siege