One of the biggest changes hitting servers with the Rainbow Six Siege Shadow Legacy release date is the arrival of three new sights and a global redistribution of optics across the game’s 57 operators.
Firstly, no defending operators who still have access to ACOG or higher zoom scopes, except for Vigil, who can still bring the ACOG on his BOSG.12.2 shotgun. Ubisoft has even changed the ACOG added two new maginfication levels, the 1.5x and 2.0x, and adjusted the zoom level of the ACOG so it’s now a 2.5x magnification, rather than a 3.0x. The 3.0x magnification still exists as a modified form of the scopes Gridlock and Capitao had on their LMGs – this time they’re mainly available on DMRs.
The new 1.5x optic is designed to offer a little more range to operators who previously had none, like Nokk. It’s also replacing the ACOG option for a number of the game’s most powerful assault rifles. The 2.0x scope is means that some defenders like Kaid will still have some long-range potential, but significantly less than before.
It’s going to take some time learning which operators have gained or lost from the scope redistribution, but in our experience the change is helping to more clearly define each operator’s role. It also means we’re no longer picking operators solely based on whether or not they can equip and ACOG. Below, we’ve assembled a really quick overview of the three new sight types so you can see how they look, which operators have had significant scope changes, and more.
Rainbow Six Siege 1.5x sight
We’ll start out with the new 1.5x sight. This is being added to a number of defenders and attackers, but most notably, it’s coming to Nokk’s FMG9. This change will hopefully make her a more appealing pick as she’ll be able to handle mid-range battles better than most defenders.
As you can see, the sight is a little bulky and will block some of your peripheral vision, but it’s more open then the ACOG and other optics like the red dot sight. The reticle is a little messy, but ultimately it’s a great new sight.
Here is the full list of operators with access to the 1.5x sight:
- Zero
- Iana
- Nokk
- Gridlock
- Nomad
- Maverick
- Finka
- Zofia
- Ying
- Hibana
- Jackal
- Capitao
- Blackbeard
- Buck
- Thatcher
- Ash
- Sledge
- Twitch
- Fuze
- IQ
- Wamai
- Warden
- Kaid
- Mira
- Lesion
- Echo
- Frost
- Mute
- Smoke
- Castle
- Doc
- Rook
- Tachanka
- Kapkan
Rainbow Six Siege 2.0x sight
The 2.0x is next, and our main gripe with it is coloured porting of the reticle, which makes it unnecessarily cluttered. The massive lump on the top left of the scope blocks some peripheral vision, but overall this is a better option for aggressive attack play than the ACOG due to its slightly lower magnification level and more open optic.
Here is the full list of operators with access to the new 2.0x sight:
- Zero
- Ace
- Amaru
- Iana
- Nomad
- Gridlock
- Lion
- Finka
- Zofia
- Ying
- Jackal
- Capitao
- Thatcher
- Thermite
- Fuze
- Goyo
- Kaid
- Rook
Rainbow Six Siege new ACOG
We’ve included this shot of the ACOG partially to assure you that it still exists, and also so you can compare the zoom level – it’s slightly lower than before.
Here is a full list of which operators still have the ACOG:
- Amaru
- Iana
- Nomad
- Gridlock
- Lion
- Dokkaebi
- Finka (Russian)
- Zofia
- Ying
- Thatcher
- Capitao
- Sledge
- Thermite
- IQ
- Fuze (Russian)
- Vigil
Rainbow Six Siege 3.0x sight
Finally, we have the new 3.0x optic, which we believe is on most of the DMRs in the game. This is our favourite of the lot, due to how open the sight is and how simple the reticle is. It offers very good magnification for holding long angles, and will hopefully encourage some more DMR play in Siege.
Here is a list of which operators can use the new 3.0x sight:
- Maverick
- Lion
- Dokkaebi
- Buck
- Blackbeard
- Twitch
And there you have it, a quick peek at all the new scopes. The standard optics have also been reworked to make them a bit cleaner, but they won’t change the meta. Curiously, the old versions and new versions are both in rotation at the same time, with only a select few operators getting access to the new 1.0x sights. Every single weapon will have access to the three core types of 1.0x sight, but with the Russian and new versions in rotation, this could be a tricky transition for players who have gotten used to running the same optic on every weapon.
If you’re after a full rundown of the patch that many are referring to as Rainbow Six Siege 2.0 then click the link. Alternatively, read up on our list of the best Rainbow Six Siege operators.