Ubisoft has finally dropped the official word on microtransactions for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, explaining the in-game currency and what items can be purchased with it upon the game's release and with the arrival of post-launch content scheduled every three months from launch.
Rainbow Six Siege will have two types of currency: Renown, which can be earned by players simply by logging in hours of gaming, and R6, which can be purchased by real-life currency.
"Nearly everything you do in Rainbow Six Siege will net you Renown, including winning or losing matches, kills, assists, reviving teammates, playing ranked matches, watching tutorials or completing Daily Challenges," says Ubisoft. "Killing teammates will negatively impact your Renown, however, so watch your fire."
Ubisoft estimates that an hour of gaming can earn a player approximately 1,000 Renown, while R6 credits come in packs of 600, 1,200, 2,670, 4,920 and 7,560. The smallest pack costs $4.99, and the larger packs offer more credits per dollar. Ubisoft will also provide players the chance to buy Renown Boosters, which will help them earn Renown faster. There will also be Daily Challenges, which players can take on to earn more Renown.
"These might include, for example, eliminating a certain number of opponents in a single match, performing a set number of headshots, or winning a number of matches or rounds," says Ubisoft.
The in-game currency will be used to purchase new characters, known in the game as operators, and weapon skins. Every three months starting January, Ubisoft will release new expansion packs, which will include two new operators with their own unique gadgets and primary and secondary weapons, and one new map. That amounts to a total of eight new operators and four new maps over the course of 2016, plus new modes, cosmetic items and in-game events strewn across the year.
The modes and maps will be available for free, but new operators and skins will have to be unlocked with in-game currency. It will be fairly easy to unlock operators at launch, with the first one available for 500 Renown, the second for 1,000 Renown and so on. New operators introduced in the expansion packs will be available for 25,000 Renown, or approximately equivalent to 25 hours of gameplay. Ubisoft says, with most players logging in eight to 10 hours of playing every week, it will take them two to three weeks to unlock a new operator. Alternatively, they can also unlock operators for 600 R6.
Weapon skins can also be unlocked with in-game currency. Ubisoft emphasizes that the skins are "purely cosmetic" and will not affect gameplay. Tier 1 skins will be unlockable with Renown, while Tier 2 and 3 skins can be unlocked with either Renown or R6. Premium skins in Tiers 4 and 5 will only be unlocked with R6, however.
Rainbow Six Siege is scheduled to launch for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on Dec. 1 for $59.99.
