Rainbow Six Siege swarms in with Grim and a new Stadium map

The latest update for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is about to get brutal in more ways than one. Prior to the start of the Six Major grand finals in Berlin, Ubisoft Montreal took a moment to until new details about the next major addition to the tactical multiplayer fest. Titled Operation Brutal Swarm, the latest Year 7 update includes a new Operator, a surprise map, a handful of balance tweaks, and some features to get excited about.

First off, the new Operator is an Attacker hailing from Singapore. Nighthaven Agent Charlie Tho Keng Boon will be better known to players as Grim. His approach will prove every bit as aggressive as his physique, as he'll bring along his 552 Commando rifle and SG-CQB shotgun. He has much lower health than his compatriots, but he makes up for that with speed, power, and his unique new gadget. It can basically be summed up in the following gif.

via GIPHY

Grim's new gadget is the Kawan Hive Launcher. It fires off a swarm of microbots that are essentially robotic bees. The bees won't attack Defenders directly, but they will track their location and give their position away to any Attackers. The Kawan Hive Launcher's canister is small enough that it can be placed on the ground and can trigger the moment an enemy steps into its proximity. Of course, given Grim's more aggressive style, it's also possible ot just fire it directly into nearby room and expose anyone hiding inside. In fact, since Grim's kit includes a Breach Charge, it's possible to come in from above, blow a ceiling hatch, and drop in a Kawan Hive Launcher canister to expose any enemies who may be below.

There are, of course, a few counters to Grim and, more specifically, his Kawan Hive Launcher. Mute is the hardest counter, able to use his Signal Disruptors to completely jam Grim's canisters and prevent them from deploying. Aruni's Surya Gate can catch any canisters that are carelessly flying by and destroy them. There's also Wamai, whose Mag-NET can catch any incoming canisters and redirect them before they can land in their intended spot.

Another noteworthy addition to Operation Brutal Swarm is a new map. No, it isn't Grim's native Singapore, which was previously delayed. That's still coming later. Instead, it's the new Stadium Bravo map. Previously used for the esports crowd, the new Stadium Bravo map will combine elements of the Border and Coastline map, bringing together the best of both locations for a more invigorating experience. It'll also be possible to go outside the interior in order to explore the stadium's field and bleachers.

In terms of features, expect to find an all-new gadget that can be used across eight Operators. The Impact EMP Grenade is a throwable object that will explode as soon as it lands, but rather than damage opponents, it will instead temporarily deactivate nearby devices. This can prove devastating to those who have set up intricate defenses. Look for the Impact EMP Grenade to be added to the arsenals of Blackbeard, Montagne, Dokkaebi, Nokk, Gridlock, Sledge, Lion, and Osa.

In an effort to bring balance to the game overall, Siege's recoil system has been overhauled. After an extensive review, vertical recoil on all weapons will match their expected power level. Plus, vertical and horizontal recoil intensity will increase during sustained fire bursts. That will extend to LMGs and weapons with higher capacity magazines, which will receive a fourth stage of recoil that will make them harder to control.

As part of Ubisoft Montreal's continued efforts to make Rainbow Six Siege a less toxic place, a new feature will allow users to report others for abusive text chat. Abusive text will result in a match-wide shadowban, where offenders' messages will only be seen by those who actively unmute them. Repeat offenders will receive penalties that last up to 30 matches. Cheaters are also being targeted this season, as players will now have the ability to report cheaters caught through the Match Replay system. It can be tough to catch cheaters in the act, but now it will be possible to spot offenders after the fact and report them to the developers.

There's a lot more coming to Rainbow Six Siege's Operation Brutal Swarm, including a new Battle Pass, as well as the ability to gift Battle Passes to friends. For more on this, plus changes to the map ban system and latest Operator discounts, visit the Rainbow Six Siege website. The Operation Brutal Swarm update will release on the PC test servers on Monday, August 22 and will be available to all players across Siege's supported platforms on Tuesday, September 6.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?