Rainbow Six Siege may have entered its coveted renaissance phase. With Commanding Force and its radical new attacker, Brava, through to Dread Factor’s ferocious new Defender, Fenrir, Year 8 has proven how conventional rules have long been thrown out the window. It only stands to reason then, how season 3 will introduce an equally formidable operator. Enter Ram, who spearheads Rainbow Six Siege Operation Heavy Mettle and all of its glorious new community integrations. 

As with the previous spate of operators, Ram completely changes up longstanding attack tactics in favour of new and unique strategies. Rainbow Six Siege Operation Heavy Mettle sounds decidedly ‘metal’ for a reason: Ram, as her name implies, deploys literal mini tanks onto the battlefield obliterating everything in their path. 

While there are dozens of operators capable of breaking and entering like the professionals they are, Ram allows squads more… direct routes through the house, villas, manors, and bunkers they find themselves breaching. Unlike Sens, who conquers the battlefield with walls of literal light, Ram’s deployable BU-GI Auto Breacher eats, knocks away, blasts through, and saws at everything it touches; creating massive streaks of openness and leaving Defenders far more vulnerable than they originally were. Thankfully, operators can directly work to lessen Ram’s efforts by utilising EMP grenades, or having a skillful Azami in the squad who immediately fills the newly formed gap(s) with her metal-ass umbrella wall kunai (you are welcome, fellow squaddies). Regardless, Ram can make any unknowing defending team’s life literal hell, and it is glorious. 

While not aesthetically super exciting, Ram’s more boots-to-the-ground approach fits her South Korean Military background extremely well. Joining the ranks of Redhammer, Ram’s dossier cements her exemplary experience as a trustworthy, ambitious, and loyal soldier. Besides her signature BU-GI Auto Breacher (read: literal tank), Ram comes equipped with either a R4-C, or a LMG-E for Primary Weapons, and the choice of an ITA2S or Mk1 9mm for her sidearm. She is also a Three Health, One Speed Attacker, so faster teams may have some difficulty getting used to her hulking pace. 

Another massive edition to the game in Rainbow Six Siege Operation Heavy Mettle is none other than the promised Commendation system. It is a new way for players to shout-out others for their positive behaviour during matches, or, you know, when you want to shine some limelight on your good buddies who carry you through the ranks. As it stands, Season 3 comes with three Commendations: Valor (for when teammates stay cool and are fun to play with); Dedication (for reliability and good roleplay); and Guidance (for players who take on leadership roles and love to help). 

Commendations are not just for the fun of it, however, as players who are on what Ubisoft calls a “Commendation Streak” will be highlighted for others in-game to see. Having an active streak grants increased Alpha Pack drops, and future exclusive rewards for commended players at the middle and end of each season. There is a Commendation page where players can keep track of their commendations, streaks, and packs, as well as a Misconduct page where players can check on the behaviour typically affecting their Reputation Standing. 

That is not all, however! Rainbow Six Siege Operation Heavy Mettle comes with new privacy options (such as hiding the commendation streak); and as usual, multiple playlist updates to keep things fresh for seasonal players. My all-time favourite addition, however, comes by way of the new Match Replay and Spectator Mode, where players can now enter Free Camera mode in Spectator mode, in order to watch the action unfold from the point of view they deem most worthy. Pro Tip: Hide the HUD for awesome screencaps!

Other changes include a new onboarding experience with a flow letting newcomers to the game get much more time to ease into the thick of things through a bunch of tutorials. Making it through the tutorials will unlock 10 Operators right off the bat, and, in the event these Operators have already been unlocked (either through getting a jump start by quick play, or organising a deluxe edition of the base game), players will earn their value in Renown instead. On this note, Operators will be adjusted and some Operator prices will be decreasing as the season progresses. The Operators in question are: Grim, who is now 20,000 Renown or 480 R6 Credit; Osa, who will now be available at 15,000 Renown or 360 R6 Credit; and Zero, who is down to 10,000 Renown or 240 R6 Credit. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of Ubisoft’s team shooter, Rainbow Six Siege Operation Heavy Mettle aims to trailblaze through new traditions, knocking convention back to 2022. With Ram’s battering mini tank leaving defenders vulnerable, and the vast and continuous spate of additions and changes for the overarching R6 Community as well as its players, Year 8 Season 3 shows a lot of promise and excitement. Those who want to experience it themselves, can jump right in on 29 August 2023, when Operation Heavy Mettle launches. 

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.