Rainbow Six Siege’s Year Six is well underway and about to get a lot more exciting with the upcoming Crystal Guard update. The new season is set to launch at the end of this month and while not much is known about Crystal Guard, it has been revealed that a new Operator is set to debut. The new operator, Osa, is bringing along a new gadget that is sure to be the envy of the defenders: bulletproof walls.
Anja “Osa” Jankovic is the third new Operator to be added to Rainbow Six Siege’s Year Six, joining attacker Flores and defender Thunderbird. This new Croatian attacker and engineering genius is bringing with her re-deployable, transparent, waist-high bulletproof walls, called Talon-8, that can be attached to windows, doorways, and anywhere on the ground. Unlike normal shields within Rainbow Six Siege, the Talon will completely protect Osa from the front while she deploys it. Osa will carry two of the Talons and can reposition them freely. If attackers need to drop the Talon quickly, they can shoot a red canister on the back to make it drop. Or Osa can carry the shield and use it to peek around corners and give callouts.
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Not only is Osa a great attacker and asset with these tactical robot shields, but she is also the architect behind all of Nighthaven’s gadgets. Plus, as GameSpot has confirmed, she is the first trans character to join the roster in the game’s six-year existence. While Osa’s gender identity was not directly acknowledged in the preview for her character and the Crystal Guard update, GameSpot reached out to Ubisoft concerning the mention of a “transition” in her official bio.
Ubisoft writer Simon Ducharme confirmed that Osa was transgender saying, “The decision to create a transgender character was made early on, as part of our initiative to have an inclusive roster of Operators. The consultants, all of whom are trans people, wanted to make sure that Osa was presented as authentically and organically as possible. She was written by a queer person, and she is voiced by a trans woman – and while her identity is certainly influenced by her gender, who she is in the Siege universe is centered on her talents, her influence on Nighthaven, and her close friendship to Kali."
Along with the Osa’s introduction, the Crystal Guard update will also bring Operator balance changes to IQ, Twitch, and Fuze. It will also bring map changes to Clubhouse, Coastline, and Bank along with other adjustments. The update is expected to hit the Siege test server on August 17.