Season 2 of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 is finally here and kicking off with an event that takes players to the neon future. Starting Tuesday, August 4, players will have access to MUTE Protocol, a limited-time special event that puts a futuristic spin on the shooter’s Secure Area game mode.
The event is takes Secure Area to a glitzy, neon drenched version of the Tower map. Five attacking players must shut down MUTE Protocol by hacking a set of terminals, while five defending players must work together to prevent the attackers from completing their mission. In a further twist to the game mode, MUTE Protocol adds new abilities that allows players to immediately switch between Operator and Drone form, as well as teleport around the map. The Rainbow Six Siege event will only be available from August 4 to August 17.
The MUTE Protocol trailer shows android-like players clad in futuristic gear. The attackers are shown switching between operator and drone form by entering drone mode. When players enter drone mode, their operator character disappears, only to reappear behind the drone whenever the player chooses. On the defending side, players can use indestructible cameras to quickly teleport around the map and flank their rivals. The new abilities will undoubtedly add even more ways for players to get creative in the fiercely competitive Rainbow Six pro community.
Tower, one of the larger maps in the Rainbow Six Siege catalog, has been given a futuristic facelift, but its layout remains exactly the same. Rainbow Six Siege Product Owner Sebastien Levesque said in a recent interview with IGN that the map was specifically chosen for its large size to encourage players to use the new teleportation ability. Levesque added that MUTE Protocol marks the first Rainbow Six Siege content that was entirely developed by Ubisoft employees from home during quarantine. It's ironically fitting, as the next Rainbow Six game will have the name Quarantine.
MUTE Protocol gives all the included operators an aesthetic upgrade too. The event comes with 26 new customization options, including exclusive gear for Jackal, Lion, Ying, Kapkan, Mira, Mute, Oryx, and Vigil. The new items will be 10% off for players with a Year 5 pass. Besides digital content, fans hoping to get more Rainbow Six related merchandise should also be on the look out for new operator Funko Pops.
However, not all of the operators made the cut for the future. A total of 13 operators will not be included in MUTE Protocol. They include Twitch, Thatcher, Mozzie, Blitz, Caveira, Montagne, Mute, Maestro, Valkyrie, Dokkaebi, Echo, Goyo and Clash.
Since Season 2 is debuting with MUTE Protocol, it is likely that the content featured in the new event is just a taste of what this season will have to offer. Along with leaks that suggest a connection to Splinter Cell, it seems safe to assume that fans can expect more new abilities, operators and high-tech settings in the next few months.
Rainbow Six Siege is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.