Siege and zombies Does it make sense?

March 6, 2018 saw the release of Operation Chimera, the latest expansion of the popular online tactical shooter, Rainbow Six: Siege. Along with a whole new game mode, the expansion brought with it two new Attacker operators that are immensely meta-breaking. So how does Chimera fit into the established formula of Siege?

Outbreak is the name of the new game that's coming to Siege. It sees you diving in with two other friends to contain a virus that turns humans into monstrosities. There will be three new maps available in the game mode and you'll have to complete a series of objectives, all while fending off hordes of enemies that are classified into 5 types. The bog-standard grunt will be the most common face you'll see in Outbreak but do not underestimate them as their sheer numbers are enough to overwhelm even the best players. The Breachers, as per their namesake, are the ones who will tear your reinforcements apart. When you have to defend a particular objective from the onslaught of the infected, these annoying zombies will always be at the forefront. There are three more types, but I'll leave it to you to encounter them on your own.

You'll be able to select from 9 of the existing operator line-up along with 2 new ones. More on that later.

Coming down to how this game mode fits the overall style of Siege: you'll definitely be using your weapons more than you have during your hundreds of hours of PvP. As such, you're supplied with more ammo. The slow pace of Siege is a far cry from what Outbreak requires which is fast, continual motion with tactical target prioritising. It definitely feels like a whole different game. I was worried if the game mechanics would actually fit the vision of what Ubisoft wanted to do with Outbreak, but my worries were put to rest when I played the mode extensively on launch and on the test server.

Now we come down to the new operators: Lion and Finka. They're both esteemed operators in Team Rainbow's CBRN unit. They are experts in containing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Starting with Finka, hailing from Russia, she's experienced in working with Spetsnaz operators to contain multiple terrorism threats across the world. Her name "Finka" which means "Knife" came from a CQB training with Kapkan where he inflicted a severe knife wound on her face before getting his nose broken from Finka's punches. She is equipped with two nanobot shots that are administered globally to all her teammates. When she activates her nanobots, they reduce recoil, increase tolerance to flashbangs and stun grenades (including Ela mines), give 20 more HP, and can revive downed teammates no matter where they are. Definitely an immensely strong support operator.

Speaking of immensely strong, Lion is the new French operator who is going to be the bane of roamers. He is probably the most meta-shifting operator in recent memory. He is equipped with a large indestructible drone that sends out high-amplitude shockwaves across the map. Any defender who movers their feet during the scan will get tagged, and their full body outline will be visible to Lion and his teammates. This ability is literally a legal wall-hack. But you can bait it out too. If you move within the radius of Mute's jammers, you won't be tagged. Also, if you stay stationary, you won't be tagged either.

All in all, Operation Chimera is probably Ubisoft's most ambitious expansion but it is so good. On top of that, the entire expansion is free for everyone. You can also buy Outbreak packs that contain 50 new cosmetic items for your favourite operators.

Shahrukh Ikhtear is a sub-editor at SHOUT who stresses himself out while trying to learn marketing. Send him pictures of Philip Kotler as blessings at fb.com/sr.ikhtear