Patch 4.3 has arrived in Rainbow Six: Siege and perhaps the biggest change in the update is the switch to Vulkan API for those playing on PC.

By moving to Vulkan, Ubisoft explains that players on PC should be experience better performance when compared to the older DirectX 11.

Since more and more games are beginning to adopt DX 12 as the new norm, it would have made sense for Rainbow 6 to do the same. Instead, they switched to Vulkan, after internal tests showed better CPU performance. Players will still have the ability to choose between the two options when they first launch the game.

Ubisoft

Rainbow Six: Siege has another major update.

While this stands as major news for the future of Siege, it won’t matter much to those not playing on PC, so let’s dive into some of the other changes that came from 4.3.

• Read More: Rainbow Six January 16 TTS update notes

For starters, every gun will feel different following this patch, as all weapons have received an increase to their ADS (aim down sight) times, which is based on feedback from the changes in the Test Server.

Ubisoft

Blackbeard received some changes to his shield.

On top of that, a few of the operators have received some fixes to the way they play. This is nothing too major, but Blackbeard’s ADS penalty will now only apply when his Gun Shield is equipped. Considering how popular of a pick he is, this has the potential to be an important development going forward.

Several bugs have also been fixed with this update, such as one issue that made Glaz’s Holographic Sight bigger than any of the Russian counterparts.

• Read More: Rainbow Six community rallies behind operator ban system rework concept

There are plenty more changes to take a look at, so go ahead and read through the full list of patch notes below. It’s still too early to tell how much all of the updates will affect the game going forward, but at least fans can get a good idea of what to expect before they jump back into the action. With that said, the Vulkan changes will likely end up being the most major of the entire update.

Ubisoft

Ying has some changes to look forward to.

Full Rainbow Six: Siege January 28 Update 4.3 Patch Notes

VULKAN API

The Vulkan API available to test on PC, for further details on what it is and how to activate it, check out our Vulkan blog.

BALANCING

ADS

• ADS time increased for all weapons.
• Assault rifles: from 0.30s to 0.40s
• DMRs: from 0.30s up to 0.40s
• SMGs: from 0.20s up to 0.30s
• LMGs: from 0.40s up to 0.45s
• Pistol: 0.10s up to 0.20s
• SMG in secondary slots: 0.10s up to 0.275s*
• Shotguns: 0.20s up to 0.25s

*(Modified based on feedback from Test Server)

BLACKBEARD

We support great beards and more decision-making.

• ADS penalization will only apply when Blackbeard’s Gun Shield is equipped.
• Weapons without the Gun Shield will maintain the same ADS timings as any other AR.
• Weapons with the Gun Shield will retain the same ADS timings from before.
• The Angled Grip will affect the SCAR with and without the Gun Shield equipped.

ECHO

Echo forgot to activate 2SV.

• Echo can now be called by Dokkaebi.
• Echo now drops a phone when killed with Dokkaebi present.
• When hacked, access to the Yokai cameras is also granted for Attackers.
• Yokai now has lights that show only when NOT cloaked, and Yokai drone lights will change to reflect it is hacked.

ELA

A little more princess, a little less Nerferella.

• Reduced recoil on Scorpion Evo3 for the first 16 shots, any proceeding shots will retain previous recoil pattern.

FINKA

The juice is loose.

• Increased Finka’s Spear .308 damage to 42 (up from 38).

JÄGER

Wamai giving Jäger a run for his money.

• Reduced Jäger’s 416-C damage to 38 (down from 43).

MAESTRO

Maestro joins the No-ACOG club.

• ACOG removed from Maestro’s ALDA.

YING

New and improved Candelas! Great for flashing enemies and not just your team!

• Candela’s now have a new outline that is visible only to Ying.
• Improved distribution of Cluster Flashes to make the flash more reliable.
• Number of pellets per Candela increased to 7 (up from 6) – (1 at floor level, 3 at around hip level and 3 at head level).
• Pellets detonation time reduced to 0.3s (from 1s on throw and 2.5s on deploy).
• Pellets that bounce on environmental props maintain their velocity instead of falling and detonating on the floor.
• Candela explosion minor VFX improvements.

FMG9

• Increased FMG9 damage to 34 (up from 30) for Nokk and Smoke.

BUG FIXES

GAMEPLAY

• FIXED – Attackers can sometimes go through barricaded windows while attempting to hotbreach without detonating the breaching charge.
• FIXED – Crashing if Lesion is pushed back by an airjab while trying to pull out a GU mine at the same time.

OPERATORS

• FIXED – Jackal can’t scan footsteps while within the warning area of a Mute jammer. He can now scan footsteps while in the warning area – making it more in alignment with all other Operator gadgets and abilities that can be used while still in the warning area of a jammer.
• FIXED – A rolling Candela that stops on a staircase will slide downstairs before detonating. Candelas will now stop and stay in place where they activated, even on stairs or uneven surfaces.
• FIXED – Glaz’s Holographic Sight has a larger and thicker red reticle than other Russian Holographic Sights.FIXED –
• FIXED – After being affected by Thatcher’s EMP, Yokai’s blue lights remain dark even when being operated.
• FIXED – Castle’s Nail Gun remains present and clips while deploying his Armor Panels.

LEVEL DESIGN

• FIXED – Invisible collision at the skylight of EXT Roof Top of Kafe for sticky deployable gadgets.
• FIXED – Wall studs are not destroyed when a reinforced wall is first broken by Maverick and then shot by Zofia’s impact grenade.

USER EXPERIENCE

• FIXED – Thunt matches count towards the “Match Win Streak” Battle Pass Challenge.
• FIXED – Battle Pass progression does not update properly on end-match screen, but shows correct progression in the main BP HUD.
• FIXED – Various minor HUD and menu visual issues.
• FIXED – Various minor shop and cosmetic visual issues.
• FIXED – If a player mutes a teammate, they can still hear muted teammates after switching sides, even though the HUD indicates they are muted.
• FIXED – In Caster or support mode, Nomad’s warheads pops in her hand while switching/reloading.
• FIXED – Bandit’s shockwire gadget appears offset when he holds it in his hands.
• FIXED – Incorrect animation for Ballistic Shield ops when being pushed back.
• FIXED – Zofia’s KS79 Lifeline grenade launcher’s ammo faces the wrong side.
• FIXED – Swapping weapons while vaulting will cause the operators arm to appear broken from a 3rd person POV.
• FIXED – Weapons don’t sway back and forth while in rappel and moving L/R.
• FIXED – Operators can appear to be floating over a shield from 3rd person POV if they vault over a shield twice.
• FIXED – MMR for Road to S.I. 2020 playlist: We discovered the MMR used to matchmake was incorrect. Matches should be more balanced now upon the playlist’s reactivation this weekend.