Ubisoft has shared a sneak peek into the upcoming Rainbow Six Siege Year 3 Season 1 expansion Operation Chimera, which will add a pair of new operators to the game and the co-op Outbreak mode, set on a new map based in a small town in New Mexico that's struggling with some unusual problems.
The nationalities of the new operators—one from Russia, the other from France—were revealed in November of last year, but today's tease gives the first details about what they bring to the party. The French operator, with an astounding service record and a long list of regrets (I have no idea how that impacts TTK), uses a drone to maintain the perimeter in quarantined areas, while the Russian specialist (who may not actually be Russian, the announcement says they moved to the country to pursue their studies) employs "self-dissolving nanobots" that can apparently be put to use in a number of different ways. Maybe these nanobots provide a temporary buff to him, or teammates?
They've been drafted into Rainbow Six as part of a newly formed CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) Threat Unit. They'll be part of the standard multiplayer roster and also playable in the time-limited Outbreak mode, in which teams of three operators try to contain an epidemic in the Biblically-named town of "Truth or Consequences." Ubisoft hasn't come hard with the details but my impression is that this medical intervention will be less about years of theoretical research that slowly evolves into practical applications, and more about shooting everything that looks like it's about to express a sudden craving for brains.
The Outbreak event will be open to all Rainbow Six Siege owners, and will feature exclusive headgear, uniforms, weapon skins, and charms available in Outbreak Packs. The packs will be available for 300 R6 Credits each ($2.50), and Ubisoft guarantees that no duplicates will drop. Some items will also be available via gameplay.
A solid go date for Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Chimera has not been announced, but Ubisoft said that more information—the announcement promises "all the intel your heart desires," so it will presumably be the full and final lowdown on what's happening and when—will be revealed during the Six Invitational, which will run February 13-18 and be broadcast on Twitch.
