Operators Who Broke The Game

The immensely popular tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege has almost been around for an entire decade, and in that time, more than 50 unique operators have been added to the roster. Though Ubisoft is known for being one of the best developers out there when it comes to providing updates and patches, there have still been several operators who, when they were first introduced, felt downright broken due to their weapons and gadgets.

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While these operators would be fun to play around with in their overpowered states, they would all eventually be heavily nerfed and tinkered with by the developers to ensure they don’t end up ruining the experience for others. These game-breaking operators were a nightmare to take on when they first showed up, so now that they are all in better positions, it’s time to reflect on just how strong these characters really were when they first were introduced to Siege.

8

Ash

For Some Bizarre Reason, Hitting Ash In The Head Was Once Almost Impossible To Pull Off

Ash is an operator who has been in Siege since the very beginning, but after only a few months of the game being released, players began realizing something was a little off with her hitbox. For some reason, the hitbox of Ash’s head was incredibly small; roughly half that of the other operators, meaning a defender could line up the perfect shot, only for their bullet to pass straight through her.

Pair this with a devastating R4-C that had barely any recoil, along with her powerful M120 breaching rounds, and Ash was an operator who would wreak havoc in public lobbies. She has since been nerfed a few times, and thankfully, her head hitbox was eventually fixed by Ubisoft, but only after it became one of the biggest memes in the community.

7

Frost

Frost’s Shotgun Was Capable Of Picking Enemies Off From Sniper Range

Frost, alongside Buck, was the first new operator to be added to the game after its release, and while her Welcome Mat was a cool new trap, the problem was her Super 90 shotgun. This gun, despite being designed for close range, was more than capable of one-shotting enemies from medium to long range, making her far too strong.

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Additionally, Frost also possessed C4 explosives before they were patched, meaning she was able to throw them extreme distances without needing to put herself in danger. Frost has changed a lot over the years, with her guns and Welcome Mats now being much weaker than before, but she has always held her own as a reliable trap operator who works especially well in lower ranks.

6

Kaid

Kaid’s ‘Sniper Pistol’ Allowed Him To Melt Health Bars With His Backup Weapon

While many fans were excited to try out Kaid’s new electro-claws which could be used for holding back breachers, it was his .44 magnum that would make him so popular during his first month in the game. As if his SMG wasn’t already powerful enough. Ubisoft decided to stick an ACOG sight onto Kaid’s magnum, giving it an incredible amount of range and accuracy for a gun that already packs one hell of a punch.

This would be dubbed the ‘sniper pistol’ by many players in the community, highlighting just how ridiculous the weapon was upon release. It wouldn’t be long before the developers decided to dial down Kaid’s magnum to give the attackers more of a fighting chance, with him nowadays being a lot more balanced, but still a useful ally for any team thanks to his electrifying gadget.

5

Azami

Players Quickly Found Plenty Of Quirky Ways To Use Azami’s Barriers To Gain An Unfair Advantage

Azami is an operator who entirely changed the way Siege is played when she dropped in year 7. Her gadget, the Kiba Barrier, allows Azami to create her own circular barricades, and since these were originally bulletproof, players could use them to give themselves very unfair sight lines where they could peek at the attackers, while also easily avoiding incoming fire in the process.

Some players even managed to use the barriers to escape out of maps and reach areas they weren’t supposed to by deploying them on ledges. Suffice to say, these barriers were causing issues, so Ubisoft made the decision to nerf them so that regular bullets can now break them down, making them at least a little less annoying to deal with.

4

Blitz

An Operator With A Shield That Can Flash Enemies. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Even today, Blitz is still a character who many players want to be nerfed or reworked, but the truth is, this shield operator used to be much, much more of an issue than he is now. Blitz uses a shield that is capable of flashing enemies with the press of a button, but before his nerfs, these flashes would stun enemies even if it was activated behind them, and the shield itself was also much faster and more durable.

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Blitz can also use a handgun while the shield protects his body, but since players could line up their accuracy before the aiming animation even ends, many would simply be one-shotting entire rooms while remaining largely immune to damage. Though he’s easier to manage after what feels like hundreds of nerfs, it does seem likely Blitz will receive some kind of rework in the future to make him more tactical and less of a run-and-gun shield operator.

3

Ela

Three Speed Ela Was Pure Nightmare Fuel In The Early Years Of Siege

At first glance, Ela may not have seemed that unordinary or overpowered initially, but players quickly realized that she could score kills much easier than most defenders due to her kit and gadget. Not only was Ela a three-speed operator on release, allowing her to dash around the map like nobody’s business, but she also possessed the Scorpion, which was capable of obliterating opponents even when shooting from the hip.

The cherry on top of all this is her Grizmot Mines; small traps that would blind and slow any enemies who walk past them. As a result, players would simply pick Ela, toss Grizmot’s whenever an enemy is on the approach, and spray and pray to earn as many kills as possible. Since then, Ela’s weapons and gadgets have been adjusted, and she’s also now much slower than she once was, making her more in line with her fellow defenders.

2

Blackbeard

An Operator Who Could Protect His Head From Being Hit In A One-Shot-Headshot Game

Though Blackbeard has been reworked recently, he has experienced a plethora of nerfs before getting there. Blackbeard’s gimmick is a rifle shield that can protect his head from being shot, which is already a little irritating in a game where one-shot-headshots are a core part of the gameplay experience. However, the issue was that the enemy would need to fire numerous magazines into his shield for it to even break, meaning he was able to easily peek around corners and windows without any risk of being exposed.

Before he was inevitably nerfed, Blackbeard was downright broken, but even when his shield became a little more fragile, Ubisoft would continue to nerf the guy until, eventually, he became somewhat underpowered. It’s not uncommon for operators in Siege to be nerfed into the ground if they are too strong on release, but thankfully, Blackbeard has made a grand resurgence with his rework, which aims to make him far less annoying to play against.

1

Lion

The EE-ONE-D Was Once Able To Completely Break A Match, Making Lion A Must-Pick For Many Months

It’s honestly hard to imagine how Ubisoft ever thought Lion would be a balanced operator upon his release in year 3 of the game’s life cycle. Lion’s gadget, the EE-ONE-D, is a drone that he can activate for a few seconds. When he was first released, any enemies who moved even slightly would not just be pinged by the drone but would have the entire outline of their body shown to the attackers.

Needless to say, this caused some serious outrage among the community, since attackers were now able to effortlessly wall-bang defenders without them even suspecting a thing. What’s more, Lion could use the drone 3 times, making it virtually impossible for defenders to move around the site without being caught out. Nowadays, the EE-ONE-D will only show a ping that moves every second rather than a full outline, which at least gives the enemy a bit more of a fighting chance.

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
76/100


Critics Recommend:
55%

Released

December 1, 2015

OpenCritic Rating

Strong