Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Void Edge hands-on preview

The Six Invitational is inching closer to its conclusion with the Grand Finals set to take place on Sunday. Normally, Sunday would be home to a new announcement about what's next for Rainbow Six Siege, specifically regarding the next piece of new content for Ubisoft's tactical shooter. However, in a bit of a change of pace, the new Operation has been unveiled on Day 2. Yes, in the midst of Saturday's action, the live audience and the spectators watching on Twitch got to take a deeper look at Operation Void Edge, the first major content drop for Rainbow Six Siege: Year 5.

Operation Void Edge introduces a pair of new Operators, one Attacker and one Defender. It also includes a map rework, so forget everything you knew about the Oregon map. Prior to the start of the Six Invitational playoffs, Shacknews had the opportunity to try out Operation Void Edge and all of its various additions. Touching on the Operators, here's who's set to join the Rainbow Six Siege roster:

Iana: Iana hails from the Netherlands and brings along a systems engineering doctorate. That has allowed her to excel in holographic technology, so if you think one of her is effective, just wait until you see double. Iana's ability is the Gemini Replicator, which allows her to create a hologram that's directly controlled by the player.

Oryx: When he's not working at Kaid's Fortress, Jordanian Operator Oryx prepares to join the Siege cast. His main ability isn't actually a gadget at all. Gadgets are for wimps! Oryx's ability is the Remah Dash, which allows him cover ground at a much higher speed. It also makes him an irresistable force, allowing him to knock down opponents and burst straight through breakable walls, like the Kool-Aid Man.

Iana isn't an especially offensive force, but rather acts as an effective scout. Gemini Replicator casts a projection that looks and acts amazingly real, like a Tupac hologram. It's real enough to fool defenders, especially the trigger-happy ones. Gemini Replicator allows Iana to move on ahead and get the lay of the land, scoping out traps, defender layouts, and even baiting out enemy fire. As a particularly panicky Goyo player, there was at least one instance where an Iana replica tricked me into setting off my Volcan Shields. Trickery is the name of the game with Iana, since the hologram cannot physically attack.

The thing to note about the Gemini Replicator is that the hologram is exceptionally brittle, even by Rainbow Six standards. It only has one single sliver of HP, so if it takes a single shot, sets off a trap, or even trips over barbed wire, the hologram is shattered and players are sent back into controlling the real Iana. The Gemini Replicator has a long cooldown timer and it's made longer if the hologram meets a violent end, so be careful.

Oryx is a mountain of momentum. What's the easiest way to describe him? Hmm...

Okay, that's not entirely accurate. Oryx does utilize a skill called the Remah Dash, which allows him to run straight through most un-reinforced walls. But unlike the X-Men villain Juggernaut, bursting through walls does hurt and inflicts 10HP worth of damage. So burst through too many walls and Oryx will take himself out of the fight. It's highly advised that Oryx play alongside a Doc, who can give him a quick pick-me-up with his Stim Pistol.

Oryx's Remah Dash is primarily aimed at getting the drop on opponents. If an attacker thinks he's being sneaky, quietly stepping along a hallway, Oryx can simply plow through a nearby wall and catch them totally off-guard. Oryx players with quicker reflexes can also win most one-on-one clashes by using the Remah Dash directly on an enemy. Plowing straight into an attacker will knock them down and leave them momentarily stunned, allowing Oryx to finish them off with any of his weapons. Even Montagne and his massive shield won't be able to stand up to Oryx's raw power.

In keeping with his theme of catching enemies unaware, Oryx also carries another invaluable ability. He can leap and climb straight up hatches or even hang off of them, allowing him to get quick views of multiple floors. If an enemy attacker tries to come in through the roof or through an upper-story window, Oryx can climb up a hatch and potentially catch them unaware.

Oryx is a hoot and there are few ways to slow him down. However, certain attacker abilities, like Nomad's Airjab grenades or Gridlock's Trax Stingers, can effectively derail this locomotive, so don't go carelessly charging around.

The other big change coming with Operation Void Edge include a rework of the Oregon map. Players will notice expansions to the basement, the attic, and the office tower, offering a shake-up for the typical defensive strategy there. The map also has a fresh coat of paint, so look for a significant visual change to go along with some of the interior redecorating.

Players can also look forward to some significant changes to two other existing Operators. Lesion's Gu Mines are being adjusted to inflict more damage, however they will no longer inflict trigger damage. Meanwhile, Twitch's drone tasers will now only have three shots (down from five) and have their damage output reduced to just one HP from their original 10. The upside here is that taser shots can now refresh after a short cooldown.

Operation Void Edge will include the two new premium Operators, while the Oregon rework, Lesion and Twitch adjustments, fixes to debris physics, and changes to attacker drone locations will come to all players free of charge. Look for Operation Void Edge to hit the PC Test Server this Monday, February 17. Once the testing period wraps up, look for it to hit all versions of Rainbow Six Siege.