Melusi is the latest defender to be added to Rainbow Six: Siege as part of Operation Steel Wave. Before you get your hands on the South African operator though, here’s a few tips so you can know what to expect.
Operation Steel Wave is here, and with it comes new operators for Rainbow Six. Melusi is the new defender introduced in Year 5 Season 2, and she’s bound to rise up through the meta.
Her Banshee gadgets are great at disrupting enemies, while having three-speed makes her a lethal roamer. Before you jump into testing out the South African defender though, here’s a few tips so you can learn the ropes.
Banshees only work in line of sight
While some devices like Mute jammers track through walls, Melusi’s Banshee devices don’t. They only affect enemies within its direct line of sight. This means if you put it next to an entryway, it’ll only start slowing attackers as they walk in.
Take this into account when you are placing your Banshees. You want to put them in a place where the enemy is forced to use utility to clear it, or risk getting killed when walking up to melee it.
- Read more: Operation Steel Wave full reveal
On top of that, placing them out in the open to cover multiple points might even be a better option. Even if you get the audio cue briefly, it gives your team a wealth of information about the enemies’ whereabouts.
Put your Banshees in chokepoints
You’ll want to use Melusi’s Banshees in two ways. One is to slow the attackers down when executing, and force them to use utility. The other is to mark where roamers may be entering from.
The best way to do these jobs at once is to put your Banshees into high traffic chokepoints. You might want to save one for defending sites, but putting them on staircases and in big entry positions will get you maximum benefit.
Bearing in mind that they only work in line of sight, you’ll want to make sure the enemy’s presence is made known before they can do anything to clear it.
Keep these tips in mind when deploying Melusi’s devices, and you’ll become an attacker’s worst nightmare.
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Partner her with Wamai or Jager
Melusi’s Banshee devices are vulnerable to explosives. Ash’s Breaching Charges, Zofia’s Lifeline, and general Frag Grenades pose the biggest risk of destroying it. They can also be destroyed by melees and Sledge’s Hammer, but that requires enemies to get up close to the Banshee.
To solve the first problem, protecting Banshee’s with Wamai and Jager devices are a must. It’s no different to defending a Goyo shield, and the longer the Banshee is active, the more likely you’ll be able to capitalize on it.
You don’t need to dedicate all three ADSes or all five Frisbees to protecting Melusi’s Banshee, but even one can do a decent job of chewing up enemy utility.
Don’t be afraid with the T-5 SMG
While she doesn’t have an ACOG like leaks suggested, Melusi’s T-5 SMG is still nothing to scoff at. There’s a reason why Lesion mains love this gun — it’s one of the best primaries defenders can get their hands on.
The SMG does 28 damage with an extremely fast 900 RPM. While it doesn’t have the hitting power of Jager’s 416-C Carbine at range, in short-ranged gunfights, the T-5 SMG can be lethal.
- Read more: Everything coming to Rainbow Six in Year 5
This, coupled with Melusi being a three-speed operator, is perfect for surprising enemies and taking them down without them having a chance of fighting back.
Make use of her three-speed and roam
There are not many three-speed defenders left since Jager got ‘nerfed’ to two-speed. While he’s still an effective roamer, getting a new three-speed defender is a luxury players should abuse.
Pulse, Bandit, Caveira, Ela, Vigil, and Alibi are the only other three-speed operators. None of them really compare with Melusi in terms of raw fire power and utility to catch enemies off-guard though.
If you set up your Banshee’s correctly to detect attackers on entry, and bring a couple of Proximity Alarms on your team, Melusi should be able to find a couple of quick picks with ease before heading back to the site to bunker down.