Rainbow Six Siege is getting a slew of major changes when Operation Brutal Swarm is released. In addition to a series of far-reaching balancing adjustments and the new operator Grim, Ubisoft will introduce the new Impact EMP Grenade, a type of ordnance that certain attackers can bring to a match.
Thatcher, one of Siege’s most popular attackers, has the EMP Grenade as his unique gadget, which he uses to disable defenders’ ordnance and abilities. With the release of Brutal Swarm, however, some attackers will bring a watered-down version of his grenade as a grenade. Though Thatcher’s EMP Grenades will be more effective than the regular version in radius and duration, other attackers can pair the ordnance with their unique abilities for more versatility. It will also detonate as an Impact Grenade if needed.
The Impact EMP Grenade will be available as a third-gadget option for Blackbeard, Montagne, Nokk, Gridlock, Lion, Sledge, Dokkaebi, and Osa. The difference between the Impact EMP Grenade and Thatcher’s EG MKO-EMP grenades lies in the radius and duration of their effects. Thatcher’s unique gadget disables ordnance in a five-meter radius for 15 seconds, while the basic Impact EMP Grenade has a two-meter radius and a nine-second duration.
Most of these operators have a fairly low pick rate and win delta, according to the Y7S2 preseason Designer’s Notes. Nokk, Gridlock, Blackbeard, Dokkaebi, Montagne, and Lion sit below a 10-percent pick rate, with Osa slightly above it. Sledge, on the other hand, boasts a high pick rate of over 40 percent, which surpasses Thatcher’s by around 10 percent.
Update Aug. 22 10:55am CT: We’ve removed a mention of the dates for Operation Brutal Swarm’s Test Server release due to a change in schedule.
