The latest Rainbow Six Siege Red Crow release date is Thursday, Nov. 17. As we're just days away from the new update's release, we're finally learning more information about the new "Skyscraper" map as well as the new operators Hibana and Echo.
Ubisoft shared teasers for Skyscraper, Hibana and Echo last week, but details were not shared until a recent Dev segment featuring Siege Level Designer Myles Kerwin, Game Designer Simon LaForge-Chalifour and YouTuber Macie Jay to talk about the new features in the Red Crow DLC.
First, as the Skyscraper name suggests, the newest map is located at the top of a tall skyscraper that is located in the heart of Nagoya Japan. The property belongs to a Yakuza leader and was recently attacked by a rival clan, which is why you'll see blood stains on the walls, on the floors and weaponry laid across the map. Different rooms will feature different cultural aspects, including a tea room, karaoke room and more. Other features unique to Skyscraper include translucent paper walls that are popular in Japan. The translucent walls also add an extra feeling of vulnerability as well as anticipation as you see enemy shadows get closer.
Skyscraper will feature three spawn points: the tower, the helicopter pad, and the skyscraper wall, which is literally a spawn point that has you begin rappelled to the side of the building. That said, Kerwin warns the skyscraper wall can be a high-risk, high-reward options for players that like to rush and use speed to get an upper-hand over ill-prepared enemies. On the other hand, enemies that are ready and hunkered down will be waiting for you.
YouTuber Macie Jay also noted that the destructability of the map favors an excellent balance, reminiscent of Chalet, another favorite among pro Siege players.
As for the operators, Hibana is an operator I'm extremely excited about. Attack operator Hibana boasts a projectile breaching round that is similar to Ash, except it's got a little extra kick. At this time, Thermite is the only operator that can break through reinforced walls. However, Hibana adds extra reinforcement breaching ability as well as the tactical advantage of maintaining distance from the wall. For the designers, strategy diversity was key for creating Hibana.
Meanwhile, Echo features a quadcopter drone that can deploy surveillance for the team with a sonic stun ability that can disorient enemies. Echo is a three-armor, one-speed defender and is the first defender with a drone. However, the quadcopter drone will not be able to mark enemies, which means the player using Echo must call out enemy positions on the mic – communication will be crucial.
What's more, while Echo will have a semi-auto secondary side arm, he will not have an ACOG scope, which can make Echo's versatility a little too unfair. Echo was definitely designed to play a more supportive role, and not a character that is best used as a roamer.
Check out the Dev segment for Rainbow Six Operation Red Crow as well as some new Skyscraper gameplay videos below:
