Rainbow Six Siege has just released their second seasonal update of Year 8, dubbing it Operation Dread Factor. The newest season of Rainbow Six Siege brings in new defensive operator Fenrir, the Consulate map rework, the new observation blocker gadget, and other balance changes in Ubisoft's tactical shooter. However, one feature that was originally supposed to appear in Operation Dread Factor was the controversial rework for the operator Frost, the operator notorious among the playerbase because of her special gadget: the Welcome Mats.
Frost is one of Rainbow Six: Siege's earliest operators, arriving in Year 1 Season 1 alongside Buck. During the Year 8 Full Reveal Panel, many players were shocked to see that Frost would be getting a rework out of all the operators, especially ahead of more infamous operators like Blackbeard and Clash. Many fans aren't too fond of Frost's rework news, as they consider her to be a balanced operator. She's only received minor changes in multiple Rainbow Six Siege patches, usually changes to her secondary gadgets or tweaks to her primary gun, the 9mm C1.
Why is Frost Getting a Rework
Frost's rework came out of the blue for Rainbow Six Siege players. She's not considered to be overpowered, but she's always been a relatively strong and safe operator similar to Rainbow Six Siege's Thatcher on attack. According to the Y8S1 Designer's Notes, for both PC and Console Ranked Matches from Emerald Rank and above, Frost falls under the category of "Overpicked Too Strong," which means she's a popular pick with a positive win percentage.
Furthermore, Frost is being reworked despite not being among the top 10 banned defenders in both PC and Console matches ranked Emerald and above. As opposed to reworking or changing operators with high ban rates such as Mira and Kaid, Ubisoft opted to rework a fine operator who sees usage mostly due to her easy-to-control weapon rather than her situational gadget. Ultimately, Frost's position on the graphs and charts clearly shows that she isn't a must-pick, nor an overpowered operator.
It's undeniable that Frost is a nuisance, especially against players who like to rush into buildings without properly droning or for players trying to enter bomb sites at the last minute of the round. The Welcome Mats are lethal traps that will automatically down any attacker who steps on one, and they require another player to revive their trapped teammate. That said, the traps are easily avoidable or destroyable as long as players are aware of where they're positioned.
How Frost is Getting Reworked for Rainbow Six Siege Players
Frost's Welcome Mats will presumably be implemented by Season 3 of Year 8. The rework was originally supposed to be implemented in Operation Dread Factor, but the developer swapped Frost's rework with the new observation blocker gadget for defenders and a mini rework for Grim, a recent attacking operator. Frost's new rework is very interesting though, and it might not seem as bad as players make it out to be.
To sum it up, Frost's Welcome Mats no longer keep attackers downed and trapped if they step on one. Attackers will still get downed by the trap, but now they can use self-revive to escape it. After getting out of the trap, attackers are able to move around once more, but with very little health, no sprinting ability, and they leave a blood trail for defenders to follow, making them easy prey.
It seems as though the rework was created in order to punish players less severely if they get caught in the traps, which is an overall nerf to Frost. It seems that Rainbow Six Siege will be seeing Frost less often, but Ubisoft should consider prioritizing changes with less-used or more controversial Rainbow Six operators in future updates.
Rainbow Six Siege is available now, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.