In this latest edition of Designer's Notes, we'll go into detail about the balancing changes that'll come with the Y9S3 update and give you some insight into the reasons behind them.

BALANCING MATRIX AND TOP OPERATOR BANS

WIN DELTA VS. PRESENCE

Please note that we are using presence to gauge the popularity of an Operator. This notion had to be introduced to reflect the implementation of the pick & ban.

Presence definition: pick rate of an Operator when not banned. Win Delta: The Win Delta is aggregated from Operator's Win Deltas per Bomb Site.

OPERATOR BAN RATE

OPERATOR BALANCING

DOKKAEBI

We have been working on her for a quite some time. We had already explored various ideas and even approved some changes that were scheduled to begin production during Y7. However, due to other pressing priorities, her progress was consistently delayed. The purpose of this prototype was to prevent the current situation to happen. We intended to limit her initial strength while enhancing her potential by the end of the round, allowing for a snowball effect if played strategically. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, this proposal isn't ideal anymore. Consequently, we've decided to focus on a more substantial change - one that addresses most of the existing issues and frustrations - for a future patch.

In the meantime, we believe that a small adjustment to her resource management could alleviate some of the frustration when playing against her and the ban rate. Specifically, preventing Dokkaebi from calling defenders immediately after spawning should help improve the overall perception.

LOGIC BOMB

• Initial charges: 0
• Refill time: 45 seconds
• Max. resources: 2

NØKK

As we previously mentioned, we have been actively exploring various ideas to enhance Nøkk's play style. After careful consideration, we decided to move away from the 'silent' approach. Our belief is that sound plays a pivotal role in Siege, and everyone should be able to rely on it consistently. Additionally, being silent tends to encourage to try luck sneaking up on opponents for surprise eliminations, which can be frustrating for the victim and not a very tactical approach.

Therefore, we made the decision to enhance Nøkk's capabilities related to fake intel by reducing reliance on defensive intel tools. Now the ability gauge will only deplete when Nøkk performs an action that causes her glitch. This adjustment allows her to hold angles indefinitely without being detected, creating a deceptive sense of security for defenders as they navigate around the map. Instead of solely relying on going into the bomb site to take down targets, Nøkk will excel at cutting rotations and flank watching. This change will also allow Nøkk to push along a teammate without being worried about the ability running out, so will be easier take the defender by surprise if it was expecting a 1v1 situation.

We've also adjusted the ability values. On one hand, we've reduced the maximum resources because it now represents the time Nøkk can glitch with the ability active. The ability can be active throughout the entire round if she manages not to glitch. On the other hand, we've extended the time needed to refill the ability, making reckless consumption without good reason more punishing.

While this change will impact all defensive cameras, Valkyrie is likely to be the most affected defender. This isn't due to the cameras being weaker, but rather because they now face another effective counter. Avoiding Evil Eyes and Bulletproof Cameras is relatively straightforward since they are easy to spot. However, Black Eyes are more challenging to avoid because their locations are often unknown, and it's likely that you will still be within their range when the ability expires.

HEL PRESENCE REDUCTION

• The ability does not deplete automatically upon activation. Only the time glitching consumes resources.
• Max. resources: 10 seconds
• Time for complete refill: 120 seconds
• Min. resources to activate: 20%

SOLIS

This is our second wave of changes for Solis, this time we are focusing on her ability and the resource management. Solis should be able to fulfil the same strategies while being more taxing on the players attention to Solis resources.

There are three pillars behind this new wave of changes, the first one is the Detection Mechanic, we've tweaked the SPEC-IO detection area, now only the central area will detect gadgets and their identity will be hidden. This change aims to make players be more focused while using the ability, looking for gadgets require more time and attention.

The second pillar is the Scan Mechanic Rework, the Scan has become the Overclock Mode, when the Overclock Mode is activated the SPEC-IO energy is refilled and Solis will reveal the identity of every gadget that enters the central area. The Overclock mode has a limited amount of uses during the round, and once triggered it cannot be stopped. The Overclock mode introduces a new counter for Solis, while it is active every Enemy Observation Tool within Solis Detection range will receive a warning that alerts them about her presence. The rework of this mechanic adds more depth to Solis actions and will price players that choose the right moment to trigger the Overclock mode.

The Third Pillar is revisiting existing Balancing Levers, we would like to revert some of the changes that we did in Y9S2 that were aiming to limit the SPEC-IO power, we consider that this new set of changes gives more room to boost the minimum energy required to access the SPEC-IO while they are charging up during the round.

The new set of changes add a good amount of balancing levers that will allow us to tweak Solis power level in the future, we will monitor her performance and take actions if needed.

This update also provides indirect advantages for operators who were previously hard-countered by Solis, such as Glaz, Jackal, or Nøkk. Essentially, any attacker using a wearable device will find it easier to use them, as it will be more challenging to distinguish them from other electronic devices. To identify these operators, Solis will need to activate the Overclock mode, which can reveal her location to any nearby observation tool, making it a risky move. Additionally, operators with special drones, such as Twitch, Brava, or Flores, will also benefit from this change, as their utilities can remain unidentified until they have accomplished their objectives.

Another significant impact on the dynamics between Attackers and Defenders is the new approach to the Defuser. Without using the Overclock mode, Solis will be unable to determine 100% if the Defuser is being planted, giving attackers more opportunities to fake plants or assess the risks.

Overall, the risk and reward of attempting to destroy unidentified gadgets can vary greatly, which implies a buff for a lot of operators.

SPEC-IO ELECTRO-SENSOR

• Base SPEC-IO Changes
  • Only the center of the Screen will detect enemy gadgets.
  • Gadgets will not show their identity until on Overclock Mode.
  • Minimum required energy to use the SPEC-IO reduced to 50% (was 100%)
• Scan Mechanic redesigned into Overclock Mode.
• Overclock Mode will identify every gadget in the center of the screen.
• Overclock Mode lasts for 10s.
• Overclock Mode has 1 charge ability at the start of the round.
  • A charge is added every 25s.
  • Max Charges per match are 3.
• During Overclock Mode the SPEC-IO will emit a Warning Signal.
  • Only Observation Tools withing Solis detection range (12m) will see it.

GADGET BALANCING

CLAYMORE

The current delay between the enemy detection and the explosion provides defenders with ample time to either destroy the mine or even consider escaping from the blast. This is particularly noticeable when the Claymore is placed on windows, where enemies must vault and the operator's legs cannot touch the lasers until they are about to land.

Removing the delay would increase the risk for defenders attempting to destroy a well-placed mine or pre-fire it before their legs touch the lasers. Consequently, the Claymore would become more efficient for safeguarding flanks and would reward players who invest time in placing them properly.

DETECTION SYSTEM

• Removed delay between activation and explosion (from 0.2 seconds).

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Ace
• Ash
• Blackbeard
• Brava
• Capitão
• Flores
• Glaz
• Grim
• IQ
• Jackal
• Kali
• Lion
• Maverick
• Osa
• Sens
• Striker
• Thatcher
• Twitch
• Zero
• Zofia

PROXIMITY ALARM

We've noticed an increase in player feedback concerning Sentry and the potent combination of the Nitro Cell with the Proximity Alarm, especially when players depend solely on the Proximity Alarm Scoring System to activate their pre-placed Nitro Cell from any location on the map.

Our data analysis indicates that this tactic is not the most frequently chosen combination. Nonetheless, we recognize the potential frustration it can cause. Therefore, we have opted to remove the score given when an enemy triggers a Proximity Alarm. While Sentry can still utilize the sound cue to set off pre-placed Nitro Cells close to Proximity Alarms, the absence of scoring means he must depend solely on sound, which we consider to be a more fair interaction.

SCORING

• Removed the Scoring Award triggered when an enemy activates a Proximity Alarm.

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Alibi
• Castle
• Caveira
• Goyo
• Mira
• Rook
• Oryx
• Sentry
• Skopós
• Smoke
• Solis
• Tachanka
• Tubarão
• Wamai

WEAPON BALANCING

FMG-9

This season, Nøkk will undergo significant changes, and we aim to use this chance to reevaluate the FMG-9's recoil. Our goal is to enhance the weapon's reliability by ensuring it is more comfortable to maintain long bursts and by decreasing its horizontal recoil. These new recoil adjustments should make Nøkk more proficient in holding long angles, as the weapon will be much more manageable.

RECOIL - PC

• Reduced first kick.
• Reduced horizontal recoil.
• The recoil will remain stable for longer during a sustained fire burst.

RECOIL - CONSOLE

• Reduced lateral recoil. 

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Nøkk
• Smoke

R4-C

Our intention when reducing the R4-C magazine size is to balance Ash's overall effectiveness and the number of gunfights she can engage in before needing to reload. A smaller magazine encourages more thoughtful ammo management, reduces sustained firepower, and limits the angles she can pre-fire. R4-C users will need to be more precise with their shots.

Additionally, this change distinguishes the R4-C from other options available---the G36C on Ash or the LMG-E on Ram---encouraging players to re-evaluate the advantages of each weapon and choose the one that best suits their needs.

BASE STATS

• Magazine: Reduced to 25 bullets (from 30).
• Ammo: Kept with 6 magazines. Number of bullets reduced to 151 (from 181).

OPERATORS AFFECTED

• Ash
• Ram

RANK DISTRIBUTION

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