New Rainbow Six Siege defender Aruni revealed: gadget, guns, release date

Rainbow Six: Siege is adding a new defender, Aruni, to its ever-growing operator roster in Operation Neon Dawn, Ubisoft has confirmed. Here’s everything we know about Team Rainbow’s latest recruit, including her abilities, release date, and more.

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Operation Neon Dawn is now on the horizon. The final update of Year 5 in Rainbow Six is set to be a big one, debuting the Skyscraper rework, as well as the final new operator for the year: defender Aruni.

The leaks have been plentiful for Aruni, but as of November 8, everything is locked in. The Thai defender is set to shake up the meta with her Surya gates slowing down attackers on their entry into sites.

She also packs a punch, being the first defender to have a DMR in their arsenal. Here’s everything we know about Aruni, including how her kit works, and when you can get your hands on her.

When will Aruni be released?

Aruni will be released with Operation Neon Dawn, the Y5S4 Rainbow Six expansion. The update will be hitting the test servers shortly, on November 9, as stated in the Six November 2020 Major announcement.

After a few weeks on the test server, she will be made available to players on live, with Year 5 Pass owners getting a week of early access before the others.

Aruni gadget: the ‘Surya’ laser gate

Aruni might pack some firepower, but she also has very potent utility. Her Surya gate will change how attackers approach bombsites as they realise their typical modes of attack are cut off.

The Surya gate blocks off windows, hatches, walls, and doors, not letting anything past ⁠— projectiles, drones, or operators. If an attacker decides to walk through, they’ll take a substantial 40 damage.

The gates will deactivate when something passes through it, and needs to be manually reactivated by shooting the gate. They are indestructible through any means though, and they can’t even be disabled by EMP grenades.

• Read more: Is cross-progression coming to Rainbow Six Siege?

To disable it as an attacker to launch an assault, just throw a flash grenade or another suitable projectile. However, to keep attackers on their toes throughout the round, it might be worth looking at picking up your gates and moving them.

It would also be remiss to forget about Aruni’s “secondary” gadget, her rocket arm. Instead of meleeing a small hole, Aruni can blast open gaping holes in walls, and take down barricades in one hit with her prosthetic arm. You can use these to create rotate holes without needing a shotgun.

Aruni guns: Mk 14 EBR, P10 Roni

Aruni’s arsenal will contain the P10 Roni and the MK14 EBR. This is no joke for a defender ⁠— Mozzie’s P10 Roni is one of the strongest SMGs you can take, and the MK14 EBR is the first DMR available to defenders.

The sights at her disposal means she can’t take long range fights too much ⁠— it maxes out at 1.5x scope ⁠— but the stopping power is incredible. She also has access to the PRB92 sidearm, as well as Barbed Wire and Bulletproof Cameras as her true secondary gadgets.

• Read more: Rainbow Six Operation Neon Dawn: everything we know

Aruni will be released as part of Operation Neon Dawn. Aside from her debut and the Skyscraper rework, meta operators Jager, Hibana, and Echo are set for big changes, and other quality of life improvements are on the way