Tactical shooters have a reputation for being highly difficult and intensely competitive. Small mistakes can lead to catastrophic losses. This means that knowing everything about one's character — their weapons, their counters, and the maps they will compete on — is vital. The more information the player has, the better they will perform.
Rainbow Six Siege already has a lengthy list of operators, and Operation Brutal Swarm introduces players to yet one more: Grim. This attacker fills both intel and area denial roles, using swarms of nanobot bees to reveal enemy positions and give him and his team the upper hand. Here's everything that players need to know to get started playing Grim.
The Basics Of Grim
Grim's basic loadout consists of the 522 Commando Assault Rifle, SG-CQB Shotgun, P229 Handgun, Breach Charge, and Claymore. In addition, Grim comes equipped with the Kawan Hive Launcher, which shoots a Hive full of nanobot bees as his unique ability. The Hive sticks to surfaces, allowing Grim to plant it on walls and ceilings as well as the floor. Once the Hive is planted, it automatically opens and releases the bees which then swarm the surrounding 4x4m area. These bees cover a large space, and any enemy operator who steps inside will have their location constantly pinged, which can mean death in a tactical shooter like this one.
This pinging lasts for eight seconds. It affects every operator who enters the swarm, and continues to ping locations even after the operator has left the swarm. This ping is constant, giving Grim perfect information on the whereabouts of enemies while they are within the swarm and making him an asset in many team combos. Even after they leave the swarm, enemies will continue to have their location pinged until the eight-second time runs out, though these follow-up pings are staggered rather than constant. The intel provided by the Kawan Hive Launcher makes Grim great for both revealing enemy positions and driving anchors from cover, since it forces them to either move or suffer the consequences of being revealed.
How To Play Grim
Hive placement is extremely important for this character. One of the first things for players to get used to when learning to play Grim is that the Hive sticks to whatever surface it hits rather than bouncing. This means that initial placement is everything. Solid surfaces such as walls, doors, and filing cabinets will block bees, so even if an operator would normally be within range of the Hive, they are safe from the bees as long as they are behind such a surface.
Grim's main counter is Mute. A Hive deployed within range of Mute's Jammer will not deploy bees, and an operator who is swarm with bees can remove the swarm by moving into the radius of a Jammer. Jäger's ADS will also destroy Hives if they are launched through their zone, and Wamai's Mag-Net System will force the Hive off its trajectory, though it won't prevent bees from deploying.
The last and most difficult way to counter Grim's Hive is by destroying it with an Impact Grenade. This can only be done after the Hive canister has opened but before the bees have deployed. Timing this is extremely difficult, so dealing with Mute remains the biggest concern for Grim players.
Grim can be played as Entry, Second Entry, or Flex. Because he comes equipped with five Hives, he can grant approximately 40 seconds of information. If the player is willing to exhaust their resources, they can even spend three Hives just to exhaust the enemy's ADS while still having two remaining for actual recon. Grim's greatest strength is his ability to clear anchor positions and ping pesky shield operators, but that isn't his only strength. Hives can also be used for crowd control. If the player is outnumbered and is concerned about being pushed from multiple directions, they can drop a Hive in one entryway, allowing them to cover another zone while confident that for eight seconds the enemy won't be able to catch Grim off guard.
Rainbow Six Siege is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, and Luna.