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Rainbow Six Siege Takes Half-Step Toward Free-To-Play With $15 Starter Edition
While it captures the essence of the Rainbow Six experience, Rainbow Six Siege’s multiplayer-only approach left us feeling lukewarm in our review. With a free-to-play approach to DLC, with payment speeding the process instead of gating it entirely, Ubisoft is now offering players a much more affordable way to get started.
The Rainbow Six Siege Starter Edition will cost you $15, giving you access to two of six random starting operators. You’ll also get enough R6 credits to afford two more starters, one seasonal (DLC) operator, or other in-game items.
Unlocking the other operators will either cost you time (approximately 15 hours for original characters and 30 hours for DLC) or money (300 or 600 credits for original and DLC respectively). That puts additional characters between $2 and $10 depending on how many R6 credits you purchase at one time.
The starter edition is, in all other ways, the full game. All modes, maps, weapons, progression, and other features are intact and not limited because of how you got in the door.
The deal only lasts through June 19. After that, your only option is purchasing full-price again. You can take advantage of this on PC only via Ubisoft’s storefront or Steam.
Our Take
This is a brilliant move to bring new players on board. A half-step toward free-to-play prevents devaluation in the eyes of existing players (especially since only some of the DLC is available so far). This gets people in the door, keeps them on equal footing, and doesn’t negatively impact those that have been there from the start.
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