Operation: Void Edge brings Iana and Oryx to Rainbow Six Siege

Year five Season 1 for Rainbow Six: Siege begins as the 2020 Six Invitational ends with the anticipated Operation: Void Edge. Team Rainbow welcomes new operators, though some operators, like Miles “Castle” Campbell, seem puzzled by the addition. As Iana leaves the Netherlands and Oryx departs Jordan, Rainbow Six Siege starts an exciting year with their arrival.

Iana

Two-speed two-armor attack operator Iana is equipped with either the ARX 200 assault rifle or the G36-C assault rifle as her primary, both seen on Nomad and Ash respectively. She sports only one secondary, the MK1 9mm handgun, also used by Buck and Frost. Iana can also bring smoke grenades or frag grenades along as her gadget.

At first glance, Iana’s gadget, Gemini Replicator, seems to mimic defending operator Alibi. However, Iana’s holograms can be used for reconnaissance or decoy. Alibi’s holograms are mainly used as decoys. Unable to do any damage, Iana’s holograms act as drones without any pinging capabilities.

Instead of having finite amounts of holograms, the ability runs on charges, taking longer to recharge when destroyed. And while they can fool the naked eye, Iana’s holograms are no match for Maestro’s Evil Eye, which can detect heat signatures. One fatal flaw to her ability requires her to stand inactive while using the Gemini Replicator. This gives enemies an advantage to hit her where she’s not looking—literally.

Oryx

Two-speed two-armor defense operator Oryx holds the option of his primary being Valkyrie’s SPAS-12 shotgun or Doc and Rook’s MP5 assault rifle without the ACOG. For his secondary, Oryx chooses between Alibi and Maestro’s BAILFF 410 handgun or Jackal and Mira’s UPS40 handgun. For site defense, barbed wire or a bulletproof camera will serve as his gadget.

Oryx is one of the more unique operators in the game. Choosing Oryx not only gives an alternative to shotguns and impact grenades to open up the site but lets the team deal with shield operators by knocking them down. His ability, Remah Dash, is similar to Iana’s in that it recharges. Crashing through a wall, however, not only makes Oryx take 10 damage, but will use up all his current charges, forcing the player to wait before using it again.

Players should be careful since dashing will make his footsteps louder. In addition to his ability, Oryx can also jump up the hatches. This lets him choose to hang and see if it’s safe, or pull himself up and roam the top floor with ease. Unlike his ability, jumping the hatches doesn’t operate on charges, allowing Oryx to dominate vertical play as a roamer.

Rainbow Six Siege takes a sci-fi spin on their operators and unique abilities, bringing lots of playstyle changes. With Iana’s potential for intel and Oryx’s strong vertical play, the meta will change quickly. Unfortunately, these operators won’t be added until March, when Operation: Void Edge begins.

Written by Emily Tang