Ubisoft just released the teaser for the new Spanish G.E.O. ( Grupo Especial de Operaciones) operator, Jackal (or The Jackal) aka RYAD RAMÍREZ AL-HASSAR. Season 2 sees the Rainbow team engaging in Operation Velvet Shell. This takes place on a map titled “Coastline”, a small rocky island complex off the coast of Ibiza, Spain.
The first new operator for Year 2 looks to change the current meta of PvP with defending players roaming outside the target defense point. Jackal comes equipped with a special ability in his headgear, that is an Ultra Violet light. After activating (Unclear if this becomes a passive ability or only active for a short time similar to Caviera’s Silent Step) enemy footprints show up in florescent green on the ground. Again, it is isn’t clear if the ability shows all the footprints that have been left behind or just the most recent within a short time window. If this ability showed all the footprints, it would be easy for defenders to backtrack and overlap making the ability useless.
As Jackal says in the trailer “They always leave something behind” *Translated*, this clearly wants to change how PvP is approached with the defenders hiding for a flank or just needing to be hunted down and wasting precious attack time. They no longer will have the advantage of being hidden and tricky, as they will leave behind clues to their hiding spot. Of course like all great players, the defenders can use this to lead you to a trap, playing you. I am not sure how this will effect the Pro League, as those teams practice droning out out portions of the map (leaving no place to hide) in less than a minute, making the need to hunt down your prey (opposing team) a non-point.
As for Jackal’s other equipment, he brings along the lethality of Spain’s Special Forces, Ramírez is equipped with the C7E(rifle) and PDW9(smg) as primary weapons, and the ITA 12S and USP 40 as secondary weapons. More bio and details for Ryad are available at Ubisoft, where they look to build a backstory for Ryad and his reasons for joining the G.E.O., just another way Ubisoft is trying to invest its players and really get to know the operators.
More details for Operation Velvet Shell will be released during the Six Invitational held in Montreal February 3rd.