In Rainbow Six Siege, the new Season 2 of Year 5 named Operation Steel Wave is finally here for PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One. It brings not only new operators and a revamped map but also several adjustments – including changes to a very special operator.
Which operator are we talking about? It’s Recruit, the masked operator that most players probably play as their very first character. He is always available when you have no other playable operators left.
Unlike all other operators, Recruit has no special abilities. Instead, he has a wide selection of weapons and more equipment than most others. He mainly serves to introduce new players to Rainbow Six.
How is Recruit being buffed? With the update today, on June 16, which kicks off Operation Steel Wave, the second season of Year 5, Recruit is receiving a buff. He will gain access to the weapon attachment ACOG, one of the possible scopes.
The ACOG is considered the strongest scope in Rainbow Six Siege and is so powerful that some operators or weapons were deemed too strong because of it – like Ash, who was removed for exactly this reason some time ago.
The scope offers strong magnification and precisely indicates the target with a pin. Especially at longer distances, many weapons become even deadlier this way, as few shots or a headshot are enough to kill an opponent instantly.
Why can hardly anyone play him? The catch with Recruit is that most players can only play him for a limited time, as he is only available in quick play or when all operators you own have been selected or banned.
In ranked matches and unranked games, this means: If you have at least seven operators per side, you will not be able to play Recruit (two bans and five operators per team) – and it is also rather unlikely that all your operators have been selected or banned.
Recruit has long been used for trolling by stronger players, which is why this restriction was introduced. Now he is only playable in certain games or in exceptions – or for beginners.
Operation Steel Wave – Start, Time, Maintenance, and Patch Notes
When does Year 5 Season 2 start? The new Operation Steel Wave starts today, June 16, at 7:00 PM. Maintenance has already begun, depending on the platform, between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM German time.
What else does Operation Steel Wave bring? Together with the new season, the two operators Ace (Attacker) and Melusi (Defender) will be introduced. Both will enter the game with the update tonight.
Another highlight of the update is the rework of the map “House”. The map will get an adjusted layout and thus some new possibilities for attackers and defenders to play new tactics. You can find a preview of the update here in the trailer:
Additionally, there are several adjustments to existing operators, such as Echo. He will receive a new, cool Elite skin in Ninja style, but as reported by colleagues at GameStar, this comes with a significant nerf.
Further changes to operators, patch notes, and bug fixes can be found in the official announcement for Operation Steel Wave as well as the attached update from Ubisoft.
A long-awaited update is still not in sight: that of Tachanka. Tachanka is one of the oldest operators and also one of the weakest. He is scheduled to receive a rework, possibly still in Year 5, but 200 of his most loyal fans are opposing this. When exactly the rework of “Lord Tachanka” will come, we do not yet know.
