A new year of Rainbow Six: Siege is upon us, and with it comes a pair of new operators. The previous season brought us Kali and Wamai, a deadly duo that utilized stealth, gadgets, and explosive lances to bring the fight to their enemy.
This season will be Year Five of Siege, and Ubisoft is ringing it in with the new Operation Void Edge. There’s plenty of changes coming in with this, including a rework of the Oregon map.
But let’s focus on the enigmatic new operators, Oryx and Iana. They come with an in-lore letter that explains their background a bit, with the pair also being featured in a wonderful juxtaposition against each other in their release trailer.
Operation Void Edge kicks off Year 5 of #Rainbow6Siege with two new operators – Oryx and Iana, along with a map rework of Oregon, gameplay updates, and more. Learn all about the new gadgets, abilities, and map redesign at https://t.co/ENcLbPDXZK! pic.twitter.com/UGw3Tcrlb7
— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) February 15, 2020
Iana, for their part, is seen floating on a space station in perfect tranquility. Quiet tones complement the silence as she stares out into space, before then being seen standing on the moon and staring at Earth before her body flickers and seems to phase away and reappear.
She probably isn’t an alien (though that would make for excellent lore), and the flickering of her body is simply her gadget, the Replicator. This gadget allows Iana players to deploy a controllable hologram to spread confusion throughout the battlefield. Otherwise, she comes equipped with an ARX 200, a G36-C, and an MK1 9mm pistol, as well as her choice of smoke and frag grenades.
Our second new addition, Oryx, is seen in contrast to Iana’s peacefulness, interrupting her peaceful tranquility in space as he sprints through what seems to be a prison in the desert. He highlights his ability by smashing through walls, sprinting out tirelessly into the desert before catching his breath as he walks towards a dilapidated fortress.
Oryx serves as a defender, utilizing his incredible athleticism to complement his firepower. The Jordan-born defender is able to charge through soft walls with his Rema Dash ability, as well as knocking down enemies like an angry linebacker. Additionally, Oryx is able to jump and pull himself up through open hatches in the ceiling that other players would be stuck simply looking at. In terms of firepower, he comes equipped with a choice between a Bailiff 410 or a USP40 for a secondary slot, and a SPAS-12 or MP5 as his primary firearms.
Oryx and Iana will be adding a great amount of diversity and aggression to play for the upcoming year of Rainbow Six: Siege. Operation Void Edge seems like it’ll be doing everything possible to shake up gameplay.
