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Ubisoft has revealed Neon Dawn, Rainbow Six Siege Year 5’s latest seasonal operation. And while it may be in the shadow of the previous season’s big star, Sam Fisher, it ends the game’s fifth year with a bang: Tachanka finally, after Five-year-old, an operator worth considering, joined by new defender Aruni, who can turn doors into lethal laser doors and break through walls.
New star Aruni is a Taiwanese two-speed, two-armor operator for defenders. His device is the Surya gate, which works almost like an indestructible, multi-purpose Kapkan trap. Placed on doors, windows, or even soft-topped walls, the device creates a wall of lasers that will damage anything that happens. Any projectile thrown, be it a grenade or a device, will be instantly destroyed by lasers, while any attacking operator that passes through it will take 40 points of damage. Importantly, the device itself is bulletproof, so attackers cannot shoot.
However, there are many drawbacks to Surya Gate. When activated, it shuts down after a short delay, so players looking to enter a site can simply throw a grenade at the lasers to deactivate them and then pass unharmed. Any defender can reactivate the gates, which is accomplished by simply firing the device, but this can only be done after the device has recharged, which takes a surprisingly long time.
However, it is definitely an interesting device; Placing it on soft-top walls that are then reinforced means that if the attackers break, there are lasers blocking the new entry point. The laser grid is highly visible, so it won’t trap people like a Kapkan, and 40 damage will likely rarely kill a sensible attacker, but it will work to slow attackers and channel them.
Apart from the door, Aruni also has a prosthetic arm that can be used to drill large holes through a soft cover. They are not Oryx’s destruction levels, but they are perfect for creating a hole large enough to provide a quick line of sight.
Aruni may be the new operator, but Neon Dawn looks like it will be celebrated primarily for its reworking of Tachanka. His equipment was detailed at the Six Invitational earlier this year, but if you missed it, his turret is gone. Well, almost: its main weapon is now the same DP27 LMG but without the tripod, and it bites through the cover like a homework dog. As a gadget, he now has the Shumikha launcher; An incendiary grenade launcher with 10 rounds that can set surfaces on fire and help deny access to areas. This team means they are definitely still an anchor style defender, but with more versatility and mobility.
As with all Siege seasons, Operators aren’t the only addition. The skyscraper map has been redesigned, although it is not the revision that many other maps have received. It still looks and feels identical to its original incarnation, but you will find some tweaks to entry points and hallways. Hopefully these little tweaks will make all of your pump sites more viable.
On the balance side, the Jager ADS has changed substantially; Each device can now fire infinite projectiles instead of just two, but there is now a 10 second cooldown between each shot. This makes it noticeably weaker against things like Fuze’s assaults, but provides more endurance in the long run. Hibana has been altered as well, with its X-KAIROS launcher now capable of targeting 2, 4, or 6 pellet shots, allowing for better ammunition preservation and more options on gap size. Echo’s Yokai Drone has been weakened and is now visible when placed on the ceiling.
Regarding non-operator balances, attackers will be alerted to defenders leaving after one second instead of two seconds. The pump deactivation animation has moved closer to the operator’s feet, and there is now a “no-drop” zone at the pump sites to prevent operators from accidentally dropping the deactivator when close to the pump.
To learn more about Rainbow Six Siege, check out our tips for playing as Sam Fisher and check out the new Ubisoft Connect that replaces the Uplay launcher and achievement system.
Matt Purslow is the UK news and entertainment writer for IGN.
