On December 1, Rainbow Six Siege enters Year 11 Season 4 with a rebuilt ranking system that finally answers a long-running request from its players: a Solo/Duo queue. Ubisoft's Christopher Budgen, speaking from Osaka, explains that earlier attempts stalled because separating solo and duo players could have fractured matchmaking for everyone, so the team waited, reshuffled its schedule, and built a new structure that lets two queues draw from one matchmaker. It is a familiar human bargain: sharing the same pool of players is the price of fairness for those who had been standing alone against co
Rainbow Six Siege's Christopher Budgen Outlines Ranked 3.0, Solo/Duo Queues and Continuous Map Evolution
Solo players will never face a five-stack.
Mark
Why did a Solo/Duo queue take so long?
Mimi
Because solos and duos are such a big part of the matchmaking pool that splitting them risked breaking matchmaking. Earlier attempts were paused each time simulations showed that.
Mark
So what unlocked it?
Mimi
Moving the Hostage rework to Year 12 Season 1 freed schedule room, and the team built Cross-Queue Matchmaking, one matchmaker over two queues.
Luke
Careful, though. The five-stack guarantee is Budgen's description. We haven't seen live data on queue times.
Mark
What happens when a duo gets moved to Flex?
Mimi
They get a notice, 10 extra Rank Points win or lose, and keep their Solo/Duo rank for matchmaking and progression.
Luke
And how often that happens is unknown. He didn't give a number, only that simulations determined it.
Mark
Why was the Bulletproof Drone dropped?
Mimi
Too strong as a secondary gadget, not strong enough as a primary, and intel is already rich with Snake and Dokkaebi.
Luke
That's the team's judgment. Players who want more attacker intel may disagree, and the interview doesn't settle it.
Mark
What about the three-week balance cycle?
Luke
It's a plan, not a record. We'll know after a few seasons.
Der Puls
- Solo players have been pitted against five-stacks for years, and this season is meant to end that imbalance.
- Splitting the player pool risked making queues crawl, so the new Cross-Queue Matchmaking must steer duos into Flex without anyone waiting too long.
- Five-stacks now face only five-stacks or a three-plus-two, and four-stacks have been cut entirely from Ranked 3.0.
- Half Reinforcements, a reworked Doc, and a new SMG are heading into Testing Grounds and live play, with balance changes promised every three weeks.
On December 1, Rainbow Six Siege enters Year 11 Season 4 with a rebuilt ranking system that finally answers a long-running request from its players: a Solo/Duo queue. Ubisoft's Christopher Budgen, speaking from Osaka, explains that earlier attempts stalled because separating solo and duo players could have fractured matchmaking for everyone, so the team waited, reshuffled its schedule, and built a new structure that lets two queues draw from one matchmaker. It is a familiar human bargain: sharing the same pool of players is the price of fairness for those who had been standing alone against coordinated groups.
On December 1, Rainbow Six Siege begins Year 11 Season 4, and its centerpiece is Ranked 3.0: a Solo/Duo queue players have requested for years, paired with a rebuilt matchmaking system. The goal is to stop solo players from being matched against coordinated five-stacks without making everyone wait longer by splitting the player pool.
Christopher Budgen, Live Content Game Director, explained in an interview in Osaka that Ubisoft had tried this before and stopped each time, because solo and duo players made up so much of the pool that separating them threatened matchmaking as a whole. What changed was the schedule. The Hostage rework moved to Year 12, freeing time for the queue work.
The result, Cross-Queue Matchmaking, feeds Solo/Duo and Flex into one matchmaker. When the system senses strain, it moves some duos into Flex, announcing it at match start and granting 10 Rank Points win or lose, while their rank still follows their Solo/Duo standing. Four-stacks are gone, and five-stacks now meet only five-stacks or a three-plus-two. Solo players will never face a five-stack.
Other changes carry trade-offs. Half Reinforcements will debut in Testing Grounds, where players can respond through a QR code survey, and Mira was excluded as likely too strong. Doc can now heal teammates anywhere, though self-healing remains slower, and Thunderbird, also buffed, can clear stuns. Slug shotguns are being toned down, and a new 65-round SMG aims to become another viable option. The Bulletproof Drone was canceled, and the Hostage rework and Operator Mastery were delayed, because a feature should not ship merely to match a roadmap.
Ahead, balance changes will arrive every three weeks, and Targeted Map Updates will partly rework maps between seasons. Whether that rhythm holds, and how Half Reinforcements fare, remain open questions.
On December 1, Rainbow Six Siege begins Year 11 Season 4, and the centerpiece is Ranked 3.0: a Solo/Duo queue that players have asked for over many years, paired with a rebuilt matchmaking system. The stated aim is to end the disadvantage solo players faced when they were matched against coordinated five-stacks, without lengthening queue times by splitting the player pool.
Christopher Budgen, Live Content Game Director, laid out the reasoning in an interview in Osaka, Japan. He said Ubisoft had tried to build a Solo/Duo queue before and stopped each time. Data analysis and simulations showed that solo and duo players made up such a large share of the matchmaking pool that separating them risked disrupting matchmaking as a whole. What changed was the schedule. The Hostage mode rework was pushed to Year 12 Season 1, and the team decided to validate it in Testing Grounds before bringing it into the competitive environment. That freed development time for the queue work.
The result is a system called Cross-Queue Matchmaking, built from scratch. Two queues, Solo/Duo and Flex, feed one matchmaker. Budgen gave an example: if most solo and duo players pile into Solo/Duo, a three-stack in Flex may struggle to find two teammates, and long waits for three-stacks would spill over to five-stacks. When the system sees matchmaking health deteriorating, it moves some duos from Solo/Duo into Flex. Those players get a notification at the start of the match and an extra 10 Rank Points whether they win or lose. Their matchmaking and progression still follow their original Solo/Duo rank. Four-stack squads have been removed in this season's Ranked 3.0.
The team also rewrote how matches are assembled. Where the old system judged fairness to find suitable opponents, the new one compares possible squad configurations and sets explicit rules for which sizes can meet. Five-stacks will face only other five-stacks or a three-stack plus a two-stack. Budgen said solo players will never face a five-stack. Working out how many duos must shift to Flex to keep waits reasonable took, in his words, countless simulations.
The season's other changes carry similar trade-offs. Half Reinforcements, a gadget Budgen acknowledged could shift attacker-defender balance, go to Testing Grounds first, where players can answer surveys through a QR code. Tachanka and Frost are among the Operators who get them; Mira was deliberately excluded as likely to become too strong. Installing one automatically removes the upper half of the wall, so a reinforced bottom with a destructible top is not possible. Defenders gain sturdy cover, and attackers gain new sightlines and firing angles.
Doc has been remastered so he can heal teammates anywhere on the map. Budgen said the team was bothered by Doc players who roamed, went for spawn peeks, or healed themselves instead of allies. Self-healing remains possible but is slower and less efficient than healing a teammate. Thunderbird, also buffed, can clear stun and concussion effects, giving the two healers different strengths. Meanwhile slug shotguns such as the TCSG12, which had dominated the recent meta, are being toned down. A new submachine gun, based on a real firearm with a 65-round magazine and going to three Operators, is meant to settle in as another viable choice.
Not everything shipped. The Bulletproof Drone was canceled. Budgen said intel gathering is already strong with Snake and Dokkaebi in the roster, and the drone was large, durable and loud, and difficult to destroy without heavy utility such as Impact Grenades. It was too weak to be a primary gadget and too threatening as a secondary one shared by several Operators. The Hostage rework and Operator Mastery were delayed too, which Budgen defended by saying a feature should not ship merely because a roadmap promised it.
Looking ahead, Budgen said meaningful balance changes will arrive every three weeks starting this season, and Targeted Map Updates will partially rework existing maps in seasons without a new one. Whether that cadence holds, and how Half Reinforcements fare after Testing Grounds, are the things to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Solo players will no longer face 5-stacks under any circumstances; the system guarantees this.— Christopher Budgen, Live Content Game Director
We don't want to release a feature simply because it was promised on a roadmap.— Christopher Budgen
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