It is almost time for a new seasonal update for Ubisoft's tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege. Operation Brutal Swarm received its official reveal today during the Six Berlin Major tournament, showcasing the new operator, a new map, and other gameplay updates.
Joining the Rainbow team from Singapore, Grim is the latest operator to join the attacking side. Equipped with a Hive Launcher that can fire swarms of robotic bees that reveal enemy positions, he serves as an important intel gathering pick for players.
Once Hive is fired, the projectile deploys a swarm of tiny robots around the location for a brief time, pinging any defender in the area for the whole attacking team to see, even through walls, for easy pickings. Grim players get five nanorobot canister charges in total for each round.
Operation Brutal Swarm also brings Stadium back into the map rotation. While originally only appearing for a short stint in 2021 during an event, Ubisoft has polished up the arena for competitive play in matchmaking. Watch the trailer from the developer below for gameplay of both the new operator and map joining the game:
Meanwhile, EMP grenades are joining the fray as a generic gadget option. Unlike Thatcher's more impressive version, these new gadgets offer a smaller affect radius, instantly detonate on impact, and holds its EMP effect for a shorter time, but serves as a way to get past densely barricaded areas more easily.
Ubisoft is also tuning recoil on PC as a separate system from consoles going forward for more balance. At the same time, silencers no longer have a damage reduction attached to them. Looking a bit forward, in a mid-season update, the studio is planning a big buff for Rook, letting players wearing his armor plates revive themselves when in a 'down but not out' state.
Rainbow Six Siege Year 7 Season 3: Operation Brutal Swarm will enter the test server next week before it goes live for everyone on September 6. As usual, Grim will be a premium battle pass exclusive operator for the first two weeks, with him being available for unlock with Renown or R6 Credits afterward.
