Rainbow Six Siege is getting a new hard breacher and a defender who will slow down her enemies. Ubisoft gave an in-depth look at Ace and Melusi today, the next operators to join Siege with Operation Steel Wave. Their gadgets have unique functions that could offer interesting dynamics to a match.
Ace is another option for a hard breacher alongside Thermite and Hibana and can destroy defender gadgets, while Melusi’s Banshee is a slowdown effect and proximity alarm combined.
Ace
The attacker, Ace, is a two-speed operator who can punch holes in the hardest of walls with the help of his unique gadget, the S.E.L.M.A. The Selma is a thrown cylinder that sticks to a breachable surface and slides down, creating three sequential explosions. If all three charges explode, the Selma will leave a hole large enough for an operator to pass through. But each blast can also create valuable lines of sight. It’s like three X-Kairos pellets in one pocket-sized gadget.
The Selma can use its protractible arms to destroy defender gadgets, such as deployable shields. Its predictable trajectory, however, makes it easy to take advantage of the gadget and ambush attackers after the first explosion. Blasts only deal five points of damage to enemies caught within it.
Operators such as Bandit, Kaid, and Mute are easy counters to the device, but players who want to Bandit trick it will have to aim for the throwable cylinder instead of the protractable arm. Jäger and Wamai can also disrupt the Selma if it’s thrown within their gadgets’ area of effect. An Evil Eye can make short work of the device, too.
Ace is armed with an AK-12 with NATO sights (including ACOG) or a M1014 and can carry breach charges or smoke grenades. His secondary is locked to the P9 pistol, a reliable sidearm.
Melusi
The defender, Melusi, is a three-speed operator who can slow down her enemies to a brisk walk and alert her team whenever an attacker comes close. The Banshee lets out an audible sound that will draw the attention of defenders whenever an enemy enters its radius and slow down any attacker caught in it.
The slowdown is bearable—at its most effective, it hinders enemies as much as a Barbed Wire—but it’s still a nuisance to the enemy team. The Banshee is bulletproof, which requires players to either commit to a breach and melee it or to burn through their gadgets to deactivate the device.
She’s a solid counter to entry fraggers and can counter Nokk and Iana. Gemini replicators don’t trigger the Banshee, which allows for a lurking player to discern between a hologram and the real deal. Players can also combine Melusi with Lesion’s Gu Mines for an extra powerful slow effect or with Goyo’s Volcán Shields and Smoke’s Gas to create a deadly kill zone with no escape.
Melusi is a hybrid operator who can be played either as a roamer or as an anchor. Her speed allows her to deploy Banshees into key points of the map, but she can also fortify objective sites with her unique gadget and deployable shields.
