How to play Thorn in Rainbow Six Siege Operation High Calibre: gadget, weapon, and more

Thorn is the Operator introduced to Rainbow Six Siege in Operation High Calibre. She’s almost a counter to Osa, an Attacker added the previous season, Operation Crystal Guard, and she gives Defenders a way to hunker down and really make a mess of any efforts the Attackers might make to disarm the bomb or take them down. In this guide, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks for playing as Thorn so that you can take your Defender plays to the next level.

Razorbloom Shells are the best traps

Thorn’s gadget is the Razorbloom Shell. This is a sticky grenade that can be placed as a trap for all unsuspecting Attackers. When an Attacker enters the radius of a Razorbloom Shell, it’ll start counting down a short timer. In this time, Attackers can choose to take the hit, rush through and try to escape, or back out quickly. It causes a moment of distress that completely disarms an Attacker, opening them up for all sorts of shots. Try to combine your Razorbloom Shells with barbed wire and other objects in the game that players won’t link with imminent death. It’ll see you rack up more kills than ever and help your team win.

Hunker down

Thorn’s Razorbloom Shell can be applied to almost any surface. This allows you to set up traps in key positions where you have the advantage. For example, arm a Razorbloom over the two doors into the bomb room, hide behind some cover, and you’ve got the perfect ambush. When Attackers enter the room, they’ll likely back up or rush in to avoid taking damage. In that panic, you can take them out without them even realizing it. Not every room is suitable for this, but do it where you can to maximize kills and efficiency.

Careful placement leads to more kills

One downside of the Razorbloom Shell is that it can be destroyed with bullets, explosives, or a melee attack. While anyone foolish enough to hit this bomb with their gun will be met with a swift demise, there are still some significant flaws that these weaknesses bring up. It’s worsened by the fact that, as an electronic device, the Razorbloom Shells can be detected by any Operator with the right gadget.

With that in mind, place your Razorbloom Shells carefully. Put them at the top of a door frame, just behind a piece of cover, or on the ceiling. Think of where an Attacker won’t look, and place it there. You need to make the Attacker panic so much that they spin around looking for the bomb but die before they can find it. This will help you make the most of the limited number of these gadgets you get and increase your score along the way.

Don’t forget to shoot

Thorn brought a new weapon to Rainbow Six Siege called the UZKGI. This weapon has a powerful impact that’s capable of chewing up walls, floors, and ceilings. Use it wherever you are to create new sightlines and take out Attackers while they make their way through well-trodden paths with unexpected headshots. This is Thorn’s most underrated ability as a Defender, and combined with Pulse cameras, it’ll make you unstoppable while playing as her. Just don’t forget that she has this tool in her arsenal to make you a better player.