New Rainbow Six Siege Operators Detailed

Ubisoft shows the two newest operators for Rainbow Six: Siege during the livestream of the Rainbow Six Invitational tournament. The new characters, Lion and Finka, will be released as part of the game’s Operation Chimera event and will be the first release of Ubisoft’s planned 'Year 3' content. 

Operation Chimera is kicking off Year 3 of Rainbow Six Siege with a bang. Two new attacking Operators are inbound for this season, with abilities that can make an impact no matter where they are on the map. Lion and Finka are both 2-speed, 2-armor Operators with three primary weapon options to give you some flexibility, and both will be effective in competitive multiplayer, as well as the cooperative Terrohunt and Outbreak modes. To see these Operators in action and learn about their unique gadgets, watch the video below. 

 

Lion's unique gadget is an indestructible drone that hovers over the map for the entire match. Up to three times per round, Lion can trigger a scan of the entire map that will reveal any defender that moves for the entire attacking team to see. Staying in one place or being near a Mute Jammer can help defenders hide, but if they are tagged, every attacker will see a bright red outline of their whole body and things will get likely get very dangerous, very quickly. 

Finka focuses on supporting her team, and her unique gadget allows her to trigger an Adrenal Surge in every attacker. Adrenal Surge reduces recoil, gives bonus HP, and can revive any attacker that is down, but not out. It also help players move more quickly through barbed wire, as well as resist concussion and flashbang effects, so it's great for supporting a team push. There are a few side effects, though. The elevated state of a boosted attacker means that their heart beats faster (detectable by Pulse from longer range), and they breathe more rapidly (Smoke's gas grenades will do more damage more quickly). Furthermore, Gu mines and Yokai drones can cancel the Surge, so attackers will still need to be careful to take maximum advantage of this boost.

With Rainbow Six Siege's Operation Chimera update coming soon (including the new Outbreak mode), Ubisoft has been talking more about its plans for the third year of the game's DLC. First, the company has revealed a new PvP mode on the way called Pick & Ban. The mode allows each team to ban their opponents from choosing two Operators of their choice for the entire match. The catch is that your team is also banned from choosing those two Operators for the match, as well as the two your opponents pick. In addition, both teams' lineups will be revealed to all players at the start of each round. However, you'll then have the chance to re-pick one Operator without the enemy seeing--they'll have to identify that player in the usual ways, using drones and cameras. Finally, it appears Pick & Ban will allow you to choose your spawn point before you choose your Operator rather than afterwards, as it is currently.

Pick & Ban will be introduced as an option in Custom Games only at first, with the potential for a rollout in public matchmaking further down the line if things go smoothly. Ubisoft says the mode will be introduced into the Rainbow Six Siege Pro Leagues at the start of Year 3 Season 2 in June, though it's not yet clear if all players will receive the mode then.