Rainbow Six Siege’s Operation Para Bellum is finally upon us, and there’s a lot to take in—new operators, a new map, and significant rework to Echo. We’ve put together some tips for the new ops and map that are worth checking out before jumping in.
Alibi
Alibi’s kit is built for mobility, so if setting up rotations is your thing, consider taking her ACS12 shotgun. It can chew up a wall faster than anything else in the game. It’s okay as a combat shotgun, but fires a little slower than the semi-auto alternatives. Most players will likely stick to her Storm SMG, which makes up for its low damage with controllable recoil and high fire rate. If you do, I recommend carrying the Bailiff revolver as a secondary, as it’s great for opening quick murder holes without wasting a clip of ammo.
Her signature gadget, Prisma decoys, require planning, precise timing, and good positioning. To better trick enemies, place them behind a piece of cover that watches a door, or a common anchoring spot. You want the enemy to peek a corner, see just a piece of your decoy, and fire reflexively. When they trigger the decoy, always be nearby to capitalize on their mistake. This can also work for setting up a fake spawn peek on a window, but enemies will wise up to this quickly. Also consider keeping your last Prisma in your pocket until you need it, like in the middle of a firefight. After exchanging blows and falling back, leaving a decoy behind is a great way to guarantee they’ll fall for it and give you the advantage.
Maestro
Maestro is a hardcore anchor, and the first defender with an LMG, the ALDA. This thing is a beast, outpowering most other defense weapons. It’s also relatively accurate when hipfiring, as its grouping gets tighter the longer you fire. He can alternatively take the ACS12, but the LMG feels like the easy choice in most situations.
His gadget, the Evil Eye, also plays into his role as objective guardian. The most consistently useful strategy for them is to have one watching the objective itself, and another watching the adjacent hallways or rooms. Since the laser has an infinite range and no damage drop-off, go for maximum field of view. The more square-footage you can see, the better. If you are zapping an enemy, only fire a few times and then quickly turn your camera away to hide the exposed area. You can also hide an Evil Eye near a commonly breached wall to zap away Thermite’s charge. And in the event of Dokkaebi hacking the Evil Eyes, consider removing them yourself or with a teammate's impact grenade.
Which new op do I get first?
For most players, I expect Alibi to be more instantly accessible. She’s fast, fun, and deadly. Maestro’s play style relies much more on patience and skill, so consider this before dropping a whopping 25,000 Renown on him.
Villa
Villa has lots of buffer rooms between attackers and objectives, which means there’s a lot of map to learn. One thing you should know going in is that it's divided into two main halves to the north and south. The first floor has a red rug that runs the length of a lot of the map, guiding you to the objectives nearby. The second floor has a large skylight that looks down to the first floor, but the only way for attackers to utilize it is rappelling, so defenders don’t have to worry about it too much. The map is also full of breachable floors and ceilings, so expect a lot of Sledge and Buck. The bottom floor wine storage is always safe for entering the building, but drone it out to make sure a roamer didn’t have the same idea.
Echo Buff
Echo might not be a new operator, but his buff in Para Bellum really makes him feel fresh again. Having two Yokai drones lets you watch two places at once and improves his survivability. Consider keeping one Yokai on the objective near your body to stand guard and use the other to explore and scout for the team. Be careful with the sonic bursts, though, as he now has fewer shots to work with and a higher cooldown.
