Ubisoft recently announced Operation Steel Wave, the newest content update coming with Rainbow Six Siege Y5S2. As always, a slew of new features, including two new Operators and another map rework, will be coming to the popular competitive first-person shooter very soon. Here is everything you need to know from the new content update.
Operators
Like every Seasonal update, Operation Steel Wave includes two Operators, one for each side. This time around, we have the attacker Ace and the defender Melusi. Below, you will find details for each Operator.
Ace (Attacker)
Håvard “Ace” Haugland was part of Norway’s Forsvarets Spesialkommando. Now part of Nighthaven, a Private Military Company which also house Operators Kali and Wamai, Ace is known to be very brash, arrogant, and charismatic. However, his social media presence is nothing but altruistic, as he wishes to be perceived as model citizen people should strive to be.
In terms of gameplay, Ace is a hard breacher, which means they can destroy reinforced surfaces; they also have a speed of 2 and armor of 2. This can be done with the S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher, a sticky explosive that can make some big holes in breakable and reinforced surfaces. If you use the cylindrical explosive on a wall, it will deploy three times as it rolls down the targeted wall; it results in a giant rectangular opening. If you throw it on the floor or a hatch, it will only detonate once. It also doesn’t cause a ton of damage if you’re close to the explosion, which means you can get up close to the opening if you need to.
There are some pretty hard counters against Ace and his S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher. Kaid and Bandit can destroy the breaching device with their electric gadgets, even if the breacher is already active. Wamai and Jager are also solid counters against Ace.
When it comes to Operators who work well with Ace, Thatcher and Twitch are solid choices to run along with the new character for that classic hard breaching combo. Operators like Capitão, Ying, Gridlock, Nomad, and Zofia can use the openings made by Ace to throw their gadgets and hopefully get the edge on the opposition.
Here is the equipment you will be able to choose from for Ace:
Primary Weapons
- AK12 Assault Rifle
- M1014 Shotgun
Sidearm
- P9 Handgun
Secondary Gadget
- Breach Charge
- Smoke Grenade
Melusi (Defender)
Hailing from South Africa, Thandiwe “Melusi” Ndlovu is a vital part of the country’s animal conservation efforts. After being asked by her friend if she can help defend the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, she started training local women in tracking, interception, and surveillance. She is known for being passionate and hopeful.
In terms of gameplay, Melusi is solid at gathering intel and crowd control thanks to her Banshee Sonic Defence gadget; she has a speed of 3 and armor of 2. The Banshee Sonic Defence gadget is deployable on surfaces, similar to Maestro’s Evil Eyes. However, they do not require you to control the device manually. If an opponent is within proximity of the gadget, the device lets out a scream and slows the opponent. Also, it is bulletproof, so if the opponent wants to destroy it, they will need to use some utility to get rid of it.
There are several counters to Melusi’s Banshee Sonic Defence gadget. Fuze, Kali, Ash, Zofia, Maverick, and Sledge can all use their gadgets to destroy the Banshee device. Finka, Twitch, and Thatcher are also solid counters.
Melusi also combines well with certain Operators. Using Lesion’s Gu mines along with the Banshee Sonic Defence will make it harder for attackers to find a safe spot to remove poison as they are slowed. Clash also synergizes with Melusi, as they can combine their abilities to reduce attacker speed even further. Smoke and Goyo are also solid Operators to combine with the Banshee device as it slows attackers who may get caught in any AOE damage.
Here is the equipment you will be able to choose from for Melusi:
Primary Weapons
- T5SMG Submachine Gun
- Super 90 Shotgun
Sidearms
- RG15 Handgun
Secondary Gadget
- Impact Grenade
- Deployable Shield
House map rework
For Rainbow Six Siege Y5S2, House is getting some new renovations. While it is a casual map (and will remain a casual map), the Siege team felt it needed some balancing.
House will be a bit bigger with the new content update. Not only are existing rooms getting bigger, but a whole new section will be accessible on the South Side of House that includes two rooms on each floor, with a staircase that connects them. Also, a new Bomb site has been added to the TV Room and Music room.
Changes have also been made to the Garage area. Now, only one of its doors is destructible and there is a new barricade added to make defusing a bit more difficult. The Workshop area has now been changed into Girls’ Room that now has a walk-in closet. Also, line of sight on the North side of House has been reduced as the main door is blocked off and the shuttered window has been replaced with a hallway. Additionally, The Living Room and Training Bomb site have been removed, most floors are now breakable, and some hatches have been moved or added.
Here are some before and after photos of the House map rework:
New tweaks and features
Besides the two new Operators and the House map rework, several features have been added or revamped. Also, the attacker Amaru has received some tweaks to make her more viable.
Amaru tweaks
There are several tweaks being made to Amaru. For those unaware, Amaru was introduced alongside Goyo in the Rainbow Six Siege Y4S3 update Ember Rise. You can check out my preview here if you want to see my initial thoughts on the unique Operator.
Amaru has one of the more wild abilities in Rainbow Six Siege. Her Garra Hook allows her to access windows and hatches with ease. However, it can be rather predictable where she is coming from as her hook breaks any barricade she may go through. It is also very possible to hear where she is coming from. Some of the changes that have been made are to make it so that she is a bit more unpredictable.
Her timing and hook animations will now be a bit smoother than initially. More importantly, when she uses the Garra Hook on a barricade, it will only break when she goes through; however, it will still break any windows when the hook strikes it. This will make her entrance a bit less predictable. You will also have control of her before grappling through a window. Lastly, if you use the hook on a hatch, the hatch will now break automatically, and will not need to be destroyed before entering.
New secondary gadget: Proximity alarm
The proximity alarm is a new secondary gadget that defenders will be able to use. It is a throwable gadget that can stick on just about every surface. When it is deployed, any attacker who comes into proximity will set off an alarm, giving away their location. While it definitely seems like a tool best suited for anchors, it also is very useful for roamers.
The proximity alarm is rather small, which has the potential of being hard to spot by the attacking team. These can be shot down rather easily, but as their position is essentially known by the defending team, you will at least have an idea of where they are.
Changes to Matchmaking Rating system (MMR)
There are some pretty substantial changes being made to Rainbow Six Siege‘s Matchmaking Rating system. The game will now use unified MMRs. Your MMR will differ depending on the playlist, but it will no longer be tied to a region.
Also, anyone trying to make it on the Champions’ leaderboard will have to dedicate a bit more time to competitive Rainbow Six Siege. You will now need to play a minimum of 100 matches in order to qualify to be in the Champions rank. This is on top of also reaching the 5000 MMR threshold.
Elite skins and weapon attachment skins
Like every Seasonal update, Operation Steel Wave will include a brand new Elite skin. In addition to the unique Operator look, weapon attachment skins are also being added to Rainbow Six Siege.
The weapon attachment skins are separate from the weapon skins. They will only change the color of your attachments like the scope, muzzle, and grip (if you equip them). The black, grey, and tan weapon attachment skins will be available for all players for free when Operation Steel Wave launches.
The Elite Skin coming for Y5S2 is the Echo Tenkamusou Elit Set. Unlike the weapon attachment skins, you will need to purchase this skin with Credits. You can check out what Echo’s new Elite Set looks like above.
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