For the upcoming season “High Calibre” of Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft has now presented the new operator in detail. Thorn is a defender with a gadget that can eliminate attackers instantly – but only if they are careless.
What kind of operator is this? Thorn is from Ireland and will be a new defender in Rainbow Six Siege. In the new video from Ubisoft on November 8, she was introduced as part of the upcoming season (via YouTube; at minute 1:17).
Thorn follows Osa, the new attacker from Operation Crystal Shield – which experts have called the best season yet. Her equipment looks as follows:
- Primary weapons: UZK50GI, a brand new SMG; or the shotgun M870
- Secondary weapons: 1911TacOps pistol or the submachine gun C75-Auto
- Gadgets: barbed wire or portable shield
- Operator gadget: Razorbloom Shell
- Balance: 2 speed and 2 armor
What makes Thorn so deadly? Thorn’s special gadget is the “Razorbloom Shell.” This works similarly to Kapkan’s trap mines. Unlike her Russian counterpart, Thorn can attach them to any surface, including over doors or on tables and corners.
As soon as an opponent enters the blast radius of the mine, it starts a short timer and then detonates with shrapnel. Any attacker in the radius will then be instantly killed or eliminated.
Especially in combination with barbed wire or Ela’s stun mines, opponents are left nearly defenseless. You can already see the gadget in action in her trailer:
Proximity mines with a major weakness
Here’s the catch: Unlike Kapkan’s trip wires or other traps, the Razorbloom Shells do not trigger immediately. Once activated, they emit a sound and glow red before detonating a few moments later.
This gives attackers several options to react:
- continue attacking (“push”)
- retreat
- search for the gadget and destroy it quickly enough
However, attacking and retreating are still dangerous. Defenders can exactly anticipate this and have control over your movements – they can even intercept you. This makes the shells a very effective method to secure and control rooms.
Destroying the gadget in time requires quick reaction and accuracy. It becomes easier if you use operators like Thatcher, Twitch or Zero (Sam Fisher) to disable the device from a distance. IQ can also provide reconnaissance and alert early to a trap.
When will Thorn be released? Operation High Calibre is already on the test servers. Traditionally, it only takes about 3 weeks for the new updates to officially launch. Therefore, we expect the release by early December at the latest.
High Calibre is already the 4th season in the 6th year of Rainbow Six Siege. In recent years, developers have continuously brought new content and improved the shooter to the point that it still ranks among the best and most successful shooters in the world today:
