Ubisoft’s recent Siege X update for Rainbow Six Siege has stirred up mixed feelings among players. While introducing some nice quality-of-life tweaks, the update also drastically reduces the amount of Renown players earn from matches. Right after, Ubisoft revealed the priciest skin in the game’s history, a $50 Valkyrie bundle that’s hard to ignore.
Let’s unpack what’s happening here because the Renown changes are a real punch to the gut. Renown is the free currency in Siege used to unlock operators and many cosmetics. Previously, winning matches could reward hundreds of Renown, depending on performance and boosters. Now? Players report earning as little as 7 Renown per round win. One Reddit user, BlauerRay, shared frustration: “108 Renown with 30% booster after a won full game of [Dual Front] does not feel rewarding.” Another player, VoidSlap, asked, “I can understand this for F2P players. But for people who have already bought the game, Really?”
Yikes. The grind has slowed to a crawl. Another player, Newbieguy5000, figured out the new formula and found that losing a match 0-3 with a 1,000 score only nets 38 Renown. Pretty brutal.
Ubisoft introduced two new Renown sources in Siege X to soften the blow: 1,000 Renown for leveling up and 500 for playing two matches daily. These were quietly tucked into a huge patch notes list, with Ubisoft claiming the daily rewards help players make “good daily progress earlier in the play session.” Honestly, it feels more like a push to get players logging in every day or miss out on rewards.
At the same time, Ubisoft is pushing its most expensive microtransaction ever: the “Quintessence of Form” Valkyrie skin bundle, priced at $50. This “Masterpiece” tier skin is dripping with flashy details, animated effects, custom animations, glowing accessories, and even a gun that transforms into a sword. It’s a lot to take in, especially since this bundle can’t be bought with Renown or traded in the marketplace.
So, Ubisoft is making it harder to earn free currency while dangling a shiny, super expensive skin right in front of players. Is this a smart business move or a frustrating barrier for the community? What do you think? Is the daily Renown boost enough to balance the slow grind, or is this just Ubisoft squeezing players harder?
