DMA setup for Rainbow Six Siege: BattlEye, ShieldGuard and MouseTrap
Siege combines four layers: a kernel-mode third-party anti-cheat, Ubisoft's own server-side layer, a Year 11 Secure Boot platform and input-behaviour analysis. Learn what each means for a build.
Short answer
Rainbow Six Siege runs kernel-level BattlEye on PC, plus Ubisoft's R6 ShieldGuard layer and MouseTrap, which watches input behaviour. Year 11 adds a Secure Boot requirement starting with the Top of the Ladder playlist, making the game PC's boot setup part of the build.
On this page9
- The four anti-cheat layers in Siege
- What each layer means for a DMA build
- Why macro detection on PC matters
- Which layers does a Siege build need?
- The right order to start a session
- Rainbow Six Siege checklist before each match
- Common Siege problems and fixes
- Rainbow Six Siege setup questions
- What we can't confirm yet
The four anti-cheat layers in Siege
On PC, Siege runs BattlEye, a third-party anti-cheat that loads at kernel level with the game and inspects memory, drivers and behaviour. ReportedUbisoft describes its own work as a second layer on top, made up of a hardened and refactored game build, server-side validations and threat-intelligence work, all grouped under the name R6 ShieldGuard. MouseTrap is a third layer, and it is aimed only at input. Year 11 adds a fourth, R6 ShieldGuard Secure Platform, which is built on Windows Secure Boot. ReportedUbisoft says it secures the game environment before the game has even launched.
What each layer means for a DMA build
Three of these four layers sit where a two-machine architecture does not reach, so it is worth understanding them before you read a product page.
| Layer | What it is | What it means for a DMA build |
|---|---|---|
| BattlEye | Third-party kernel-mode anti-cheat on the PC client, documented in Ubisoft's own help pages | The layer the second-PC architecture is a response to: it runs on the game PC, where the reader does not |
| R6 ShieldGuard | Ubisoft's own layer — hardened build, server-side validation, threat intelligence, expanded staffing and faster response in Year 11 | Server-side. Unchanged by where the reader runs |
| MouseTrap | Input-spoofing detection. On console it applies an escalating input-latency penalty rather than an instant ban; Year 11 adds stricter bans and rolls macro detection out to PC first, then console | Points directly at the input layer. A device that moves the cursor in machine-shaped patterns is the thing being modelled |
| R6 ShieldGuard Secure Platform | A Secure Boot-based platform debuting in the Top of the Ladder playlist, with limited tests before wider deployment | A constraint on the game PC's boot configuration for the affected playlist, in the same family as the requirements Call of Duty now enforces |
Ubisoft has said the Secure Boot platform arrives first in a highly competitive playlist at Champion level, with a phased rollout and wider modes to be considered after that. Treat its scope as something to check again, not as settled.
Warning
Why macro detection on PC matters
Most coverage treats MouseTrap as a console story, because that is where it started: it detected input-spoofing adapters and applied escalating latency instead of an instant ban. Year 11 changes that. Ubisoft has said macro detection rolls out to PC first and to consoles after that, and that MouseTrap will enforce stricter bans against spoofing devices. Input analysis on PC is the layer where a KMBox, MAKCU, Teensy or Arduino operates. Whatever descriptor a device presents, what is being modelled is how the cursor moves.
Which layers does a Siege build need?
Siege is a 5v5 game with one-shot headshots, destructible walls and a round timer. The game already gives both teams an information layer through drones and cameras, which changes the value of a read-only build. In a game where a wall is not cover, knowing where a player is has great value, so an information build on a second screen is the common setup. Aim assistance is the other side of it and the most visible thing in the game. Siege records rounds, so any player can rewatch them from any point of view, and pre-firing through a soft wall at the right pixel is obvious to a human at once.
The right order to start a session
- Launch the game on its own and reach the menu, with BattlEye running normally and no reader attached
- Confirm your account's two-step verification is in place, since Ubisoft requires it for Ranked
- Note which playlist you intend to play, because the Secure Boot platform is playlist-scoped for now
- Read today's status row for your firmware tier and compare its date with the current season and patch
- Boot the second PC, confirm the card enumerates, then start the reader
- Launch the game, let BattlEye finish loading, then attach from the menu
- If a fuser is in the video path, set borderless fullscreen and match the resolution and refresh rate on both machines
Rainbow Six Siege checklist before each match
- The game launches with BattlEye loaded and reaches the menu on its own
- Two-step verification is turned on for the account
- You know whether the playlist you are queueing for enforces the Secure Boot platform
- You have read today's status row for your firmware tier and noted the season and patch
- The card is in its data port, and the reader was attached before you queued
- The game PC enumerates any input device as a standard mouse
- You have accepted that every round is reviewable from any player's point of view
Common Siege problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| BattlEye fails to initialise or the game closes on launch | An outdated BattlEye service after a patch, or an interrupted update | Let the launcher finish updating, verify the game files and launch the game alone, keeping the reader out of it while you diagnose the problem |
| One playlist launches but another refuses to | The Secure Boot platform is being deployed playlist by playlist rather than across the whole game | Check which playlist enforces it and what state the game PC's boot configuration is in, and remember that the scope is current, not permanent |
| The build stopped working without a game patch | BattlEye updates independently of Ubisoft's season patches | Compare the status row's date with the game's last build date, and if the game has not changed, assume a change on the anti-cheat side |
| The account is locked out of Ranked | Two-step verification is required for Ranked and for the Marketplace | This is an account issue, not a stack issue, so fix it in Ubisoft Connect before you blame the build |
Rainbow Six Siege setup questions
Which anti-cheat does Rainbow Six Siege use?
Siege uses BattlEye at kernel level on PC, as documented on Ubisoft's own help pages. On top of that sits R6 ShieldGuard, Ubisoft's own second layer, which adds server-side validation and threat intelligence.
What is MouseTrap and does it affect PC players?
MouseTrap is Ubisoft's input-spoofing detection, which began as a console feature that applies escalating input latency to detected spoofers. Ubisoft has said Year 11 brings macro detection to PC first and then to consoles.
Does Siege require Secure Boot?
Ubisoft is deploying R6 ShieldGuard Secure Platform, built on Windows Secure Boot, starting with the Top of the Ladder playlist and expanding after limited tests. Check the current scope on Ubisoft's own security requirements page, and do not assume it is either game-wide or absent.
Do you sell a Siege build?
The store sells a Rainbow Six Siege external cheat at /products/r6-siege and custom firmware whose Emulated tier lists Siege, but no Siege DMA cheat. Before you order firmware, confirm the exact game and board with support, as the tier's own description asks you to do.
Is a Siege build safe from detection?
No build is safe from detection, here or anywhere, and nobody should tell you otherwise. Siege combines a kernel-mode anti-cheat, server-side validation, input-behaviour analysis and rounds that can be rewatched. These layers are described so that you can judge the risk, not so that you can dismiss it.
Info
What we can't confirm yet
How far the Secure Boot platform has rolled out this week, and whether anything works today, are both live questions. Ubisoft is deploying the platform in phases and has said it will consider wider modes after that. Read Ubisoft's own security requirements page alongside the live status board, and ask support before you buy rather than after.
Sources
The ShieldGuard and MouseTrap details come from our own testing rather than from a listed source, and Secure Boot is still rolling out one playlist at a time.
Read next
- DMA setup for Warzone: Ricochet, Secure Boot and TPM
- What are DMA cheats and how do they work
- KMBox Net, KMBox B+, MAKCU, Teensy or Arduino: which input device to buy
- USB descriptors, VID/PID and what descriptor cloning means
- How to read the build status board
- DMA setup for ARC Raiders: EAC plus behavioural detection
- DMA setup for Arena Breakout: Infinite: ACE and DMA Guard
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