Operation Crystal Guard released!

The third season of the year has been published on the live servers, featuring three map buffs, a new attacker, a new Battle Pass, new flash mechanics and many more changes. Find out all details of the new season in this article.

- Article by Tentix

Operation Crystal Guard is here, including the newest addition "Osa"! Image Source: Ubisoft

New Operator: Osa

The biggest highlight of the season is the new attacker Anja Katarina "Osa" Jankovic. She is the first attacking shield operator since release, but contrary to Blitz and Montagne, her shield does not replace a primary weapon. The transparent "Talon-8 Shield" can be equipped when needed, giving her almost full coverage similar to the shield of Blitz. She also has the option to place down her shield on the ground or in window frames, giving the operator behind it full protection against bullets. The only option to destroy the shield is to use explosives, so either a C4 or Impact Grenades can easily prevent the attackers from using the shield. When unequipping the shield, Osa can rely on her primary weapons, consisting of Thermites 556 XI or Jackals PDW9, as well as on her secondary weapon, the PMM pistol used by Russian operators. To encourage her supportive playstyle, Osa can bring smoke grenades or a claymore as secondary gadgets.

Map Buffs

Instead of a new map or a single map rework, Ubisoft decided to address issues on three different maps: Clubhouse, Coastline and Bank. Clubhouse received only slight changes, as the Bar bombsite has been moved, as well as minor changes to walls and wall positions. Coastline also received also minor, but more important changes. For example, the VIP window has been removed and replaced by a soft wall, allowing defenders to reinforce it. Also, the Garden windows have been scaled down, so they can be barricaded, cutting off important sight lines. Bank received the most changes, especially the upper floors as the Main Lobby has been drastically changed. It is now also much harder to spawnpeek as a defender, giving the attackers more security when approaching the building.

Battle Pass

With a new season there also comes a new Battle Pass, featuring not only the new operator, but also more than 100 cosmetic items. There also have been minor changes to the Battle Pass, as the Premium Battle Pass will now give you 30% more Battle Points when playing the game. You can now also buy Battle Pass Boosters, allowing you to level up more quickly.

The new Battle Pass

Other Changes

Health System: The Speed & Armor system has been replaced by a Speed & Health system. All Operators now take the same amount of damage, but instead start with different HP. 1 Health operators still start with 100 HP, but 2 Health operators start with 110 HP and 3 Health operators start with 125 HP.
Elite customization: Players can now change the headgear of their operator, even if they use an Elite uniform. More customization options will be released next season.
Rim Lighting: Operator uniforms such as Ember Rise or North Star created a lot of frustration for players, as it was almost impossible to see opponents under certain circumstances. To combat this, players will now be highlighted with a rim light.
DBNO Scoring: Players will no longer get a kill score when eliminating an opponent who already has been downed. Instead, the player who downed the opponent will be rewarded with the kill.
Flash Detection: Ubisoft reworked the Flash Detection system, which now takes the environment and angle of the explosion into account. This means that Flash Grenades should work more consistently and turning away from the explosion will no longer prevent being flashed.

Balancing Changes

Twitch Rework: To make Twitchs drones more in line with Flores' drones, they have been improved. Twitch drones can now not only jump, but they also shoot a laser, which allows her to take down Goyo shields.
IQ Rework: IQ can now use the Ping 2.0 system to ping gadgets with her scanner, allowing her to ping gadgets through walls.
Fuze Rework: Fuze received a big buff, as he can now deploy his charges on reinforced walls. Although his charges now take longer to activate and can be shot from the other site, this allows him to support hard breach operators as he can clear Bandit charges and Kaid claws.

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