Rainbow Six Siege Operation Para Bellum update now available

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has received its latest expansion, titled Operation Para Bellum. Following the launch of Operation Chimera and its zombies-themed cooperative event, Ubisoft is has kicked off a traditional multiplayer-focused season.

The main stars of Operation Para Bellum are Alibi and Maestro – the game's two new playable Operators from an Italian counterterrorism unit. As an expert in illusions, Alibi utilizes throwable "prismas" to display holographic decoys of herself. Conversely, Maestro is an Operator focused on heavy firepower, with two "Evil Eye" bulletproof cameras concealing remote-controlled lasers.

Villa is the game's new multiplayer map, pitched as one of its competitive maps to date. Embracing the game's renowned close quarters gameplay and destructive environments, this is looking to be a welcome addition to its map roster.

Operation Para Bellum brings a slew of other content, including a rework of the Clubhouse multiplayer map, new cosmetic unlocks and the "Pick and Ban" system. This update also implements upgrades for Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, boosting their resolutions to 1728p and 1440p respectively.

To dig into the update for yourself, a free download is now available across all platforms. For those with Rainbow Six Siege's Year 3 Pass, both Operators are now available at no additional cost. A public release of these Operators is currently set for June 14, when non-Year 3 Pass holders can access them for free.

For a deeper look at what's new, check out our full breakdown of the update's contents. Are you looking forward to this update? Drop into the comments with your thoughts.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.