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While the Skyscraper Map stuns visually, both its interior and exterior components are a sight to behold and brimming with tactical opportunities that remain a signature of Rainbow Six. Unlike other parts of Rainbow Six Siege maps, players will have to fight not just their enemies but the almost-distracting beauty of the place - something they can use to their advantage. Just how should players approach playing in the Skyscraper Map?
Skyscraper: Two Locales, Two Approaches
Unlike other maps in Siege, the Skyscraper’s Japanese-style architecture is actually divided into two major locations and layouts on the inside - one restaurant and one residential area. While these are connected by two different rooms, the two setups do demand particularly different approaches, forcing both teams to adjust adequately to secure their victory. To do this, it helps to do the following:
Mind Transitions: Given the proximity of the two areas and the two rooms that split them, control over these transition areas are extremely important when securing points. For instance, 2F Geisha Room is contested precisely because of how it provides access to a lot of areas both above and downstairs. Proximity Means Close Encounters: Similar to other close-knit maps, the packed nature of Skyscraper motivates a lot of movement. However, the lack of hardline rotational opportunities here means there are more chances of meeting opponents and engaging them in crossfires, making traps and area denial Operators extremely important.
Basic Defense: Use Flanking, Verticality, To Secure The Advantage
Considering the rather playful area of Skyscraper, there are actually a lot of viable defensive maneuvers players could do to maximize the area coverage that they have. In terms of verticality, players can actually use the 2F Taiko balcony to get a height advantage in 1F Reception and 1F Restaurant, which greatly helps the defense. Likewise, high ceilings around the area immediately pave the way for device placements, making them perfect for cameras and traps.
Interestingly, players should also make use of how pathways are created to lead directly into objective windows. Since a lot of the area’s exteriors don’t have much cover, this can give Defenders direct lines of sight against enemies. Likewise, ceiling hatches in 1F objective sites can lead straight to 2F Geisha Room and 2F Work Office, allowing players to capitalize on the vertical maneuvering to kill opponents quickly.
Reinforcements: Deny Access To Secure The Flank
Given the tight areas of Skyscraper, it helps for Defenders to know precisely where to secure each site - especially when it comes to denying entry for Attackers. That way, not only does it force Attackers to waste more time and resources, but also be particularly open to flanking opportunities. Here are some things to be wary of:
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1F Kitchen: Accessible via the 1F BBQ, it’s important to secure the windows as part of the primary defense as attacking from the outside is the safest, most practical thing to do. As such, traps near the windows can help catch unsuspecting enemies and can be defensible from the 2F Geisha Room as well by opening up its floors. 1F Bathroom: Connected to 1F Bedroom, this can be tricky to defend particularly with the number of windows that make the rooms accessible. As such, it helps to open the hatch leading to 2F Work Office to get the advantage of the vertical defense. Using the room’s natural defenses such as the bathtub and other hard furniture can provide a much more stable defense. 2F Tea Room: Connected closely to 2F Karaoke, the Tea Room is easily one of the most popular sites to defend on Skyscraper due to its straightforward nature. Simply put, aside from taking note of the window into 2F Karaoke, Defenders simply need to reinforce the exterior walls of 2F Geisha, place some traps near its window, and guard the area to secure control. Likewise, having someone create a murder hole in the exterior wall in 2F VIP Clearance allows them to kill approaching Attackers while flanking via 2F Taiko. 2F Work Office: Accessible through 2F Exhibition, the rather large area of the 2F Work Office gives more room for engaging firefights. It’s ideal to defend the exterior wall on the southern side, as this is a popular hard-breaching attack. Afterward, defend the windows from Work Office and Exhibition directly looking into the objective as well as the walls close to 2F Terrace to maximize area denial. That way, opponents have no choice but to go to the 2F Lounge doorway, leaving them open for an ambush.
Reinforcements: Tap IntoRat Spots, Chokeholds
Due to the close proximity of areas in Skyscraper, the area does provide a lot of opportunities for Defenders to stabilize their defensive measures and maximize the ways they can eliminate Attackers. Here are some ideal rat spots and chokeholds Defenders should use to ensure they can get the jump on enemies:
Exterior Doorways: Players should use the area’s architecture against Attackers. Flanking them from external doorways as soon as they access windows can become a great way to ruin their day. Given how these doorways have balconies with barely any cover, Attackers don’t have any means of defending themselves. Ceilings And Details: Given the Japanese aesthetic of the location, there are actually a lot of details in the ceilings - making it a good way to disguise gadgets, especially drones. Defenders should use this to scout areas with impunity. 2F Taiko: It helps to use the 2F Taiko balcony to immediately get a vertical advantage over the 1F Reception and 1F Restaurant area. Defenders can use this to defend the area itself, and its proximity to any 2F site makes it an ideal buffer zone. 2F Geisha Room, 2F Work Office: Defenders should at least try defending these areas, as they give clear ceiling views from any 1F objective. Of course, these also become extremely viable targets for Attackers to take.
Defender Operators: Catch Them Off-Guard
Given the tight-knit nature of places in Skyscraper, it helps to ensure the Defenders are made up of Operators who waste no time defending structures while being open for quick adjustments in defense. Since there’s not a lot of room to explore, there’s a focus on reconnaissance and hard defense here:
Frost: Given the straightforward nature of attacking routes in Skyscraper, it may transform Attackers into rather overconfident assailants, making it perfect for Frost to deploy her ever-deadly Welcome Mats. When stepped on the floor, her Mats will force enemies to an immediate DBNO state, practically rendering them useless unless aided. Although each Welcome Mat is usable only once, just catching one opponent can be more than enough to incapacitate a well-coordinated Attack. Lesion: What better way to deter the enemy’s assault by ensuring they’re punished as soon as they get in? Gu Mines by Lesion aren’t just auto-cloaking, but they also emit poison on physical contact, giving damage-over-time to foes within its vicinity. Due to the rather straightforward attack angles in Skyscraper, Gu Mines can find homes not just on floors but on walls, desks, cabinets, and even windowsills - making even vaulting quite disadvantageous. Valkyrie: Given the vertical play surrounding Skyscraper, it’s important for a recon Operator like Valkyrie to be able to get a bird’s eye view of the battlefield - and her Black Eyes let her do exactly that. Shaped like balls with micro-suction cups, Valkyrie can deploy Black Eyes to extremely high surfaces to get a better view of the general battlefield. Bandit: Considering the vertical play motivated throughout Skyscraper, it’s important for Bandit to be able to use his Shock Wires to bolster the additional defenses on the ground should Attackers instead use a horizontal roaming pattern to get to their objective. Securing the site with Shock Wires can make for a nasty final defense while the rest of the Defenders roam and try to finish off the rest of the Attackers.
Basic Attack: Mind The Peeking
Unlike other maps, a lot of areas inside and outside Skyscraper are prone to peeking, especially depending on the angles being observed. For instance, 1F Helipad will lead to a rather peek-prone area near the left-side stair set, whereas the 1F Tower spawn can lead to another peek-prone point near 1F House Lobby.
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Likewise, players can use their rather “vulnerable” position to get the jump on potential peeking opponents, as well as look into key windows such as 2F Tea Room and 2F Exhibition - and maybe even score a few kills against those trying to catch a glimpse of the attackers. There’s also a western Tower near the 1F Helipad spawn that can give a direct line of sight to the 1F Kitchen, 1F BBQ, and 2F Karaoke. Aside from these, objective sites often have nearby doors, exterior windows, and drone holes that lead directly into them, making them viable exploit points.
Offense: Views, And Reconnaissance Are Key
When faced with extremely close rooms, Attackers shouldn’t just go fast and loose willy-nilly but instead also survey the area properly before deciding on an aggressive approach. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways Skyscraper could be used against the Defenders, especially when it comes to locations Attackers could use to get the jump on them:
1F Helipad: Stay wary of Defenders that may peek on the stairs on the left side, and this is also a good way to predict Defenders who think they can jump the gun as soon as the round begins. There is another tower here that provides an excellent line of sight into 1F Kitchen, 1F BBQ, and 2F Karaoke. 1F Tower: Likewise, stay wary of Attackers that might try to attack from 1F House Lobby. Skilled-enough marksmen can outmaneuver these Defenders. Interestingly, surviving long enough can allow Attackers to use this to peek into vital rooms such as 2F Exhibition and 2F Tea Room. Get Wary Of Exterior Windows: While these windows are pretty inviting ways to enter contested areas, Defenders know that the balconies inside of them offer little cover. Attackers can jump the gun on Defenders with Airjabs and Claymores. Get Wary Of Flanking: Small rooms like 1F Main Entrance, 2F Terrace, and 1F Pantry/Room can be exploited by roamers to access various areas on the map. Attackers can stay and guard these areas to outmaneuver flankers.
Offense: Fast And Loose On The Objective
Due to the close nature of the location, Skyscraper is ideal for Attackers who waste no time breaching through defenses to secure the objective. They’re expected to encounter heavy resistance, so Attackers in this regard should always be capable of either getting the jump on Defenders or at least leaving them defenseless. Ideal Operators are the following:
Hard Breacher: Ideal for extremely aggressive builds, Hard Breachers are essential when accessing a particular objective during a hard push. Disruptor: Often accompanying Hard Breachers are Disruptors, capable of disabling traps and other surprise Defenders might have waiting for the team. This helps the Hard Breacher do their job more comfortably. Area Denial: A great way to secure the jump on flankers, Area Denial specialists use their gadgets to ensure that Defenders are punished when they try to move into other defensive zones, trapping them. Flanker: Another way to counter mobile Defenders, Flankers are great tools to access tight corners to jump on Defenders as soon as they try to outflank and outmaneuver the team.
Attacker Operators: Distract To Secure The Objective
Since a lot of the objectives in Skyscraper have close-knit connections to other rooms, it would be extremely difficult for Attackers to dominate if the enemy knows they’re coming. To circumvent this threat, it could help for Attackers to instead use shock and awe to distract enemies fast enough to eliminate them before they could strike a counter-offensive:
Thermite: Given the strong defensible locations in Skyscraper, the presence of Thermite can ensure there’s always a way to destabilize the hard defense of Defenders and give way for the Attackers to reach their objective. His Exothermic Charges can render these hardline reinforcements useless, especially when used in the right situations. Thatcher: Being an assistant for a Hard Breacher means Thatcher can help destabilize any traps and utilities waiting behind crucial corners. His EMP Grenades, when used strategically, can help secure a buffer zone for Attackers to proceed with the offense without much worries about retaliation. IQ: Perhaps the original electronics disruptor in the game, IQ and her Electronics Detector allows the team to accurately pinpoint the location of otherwise-pesky electronics that can hinder the team’s assault. Things such as cameras, nitro cells, disruptors, and denial items that could harm the team’s assault can be stopped on the get-go. Glaz: Due to some Defenders being more than capable of suppressing Attackers with smoke and other distractions, an Operator like Glaz is easily a godsend. His HDS Flip Sight allows him to see through smoke and other distractions, highlighting enemy players for him to shoot. This makes Glaz an especially important asset for flanking enemies, especially in a heavily-defensible location like Skyscraper. Gridlock: As the name implies, Gridlock uses her Trax Stingers to ensure that roaming Defenders won’t be able to make much use of their environment. When triggered, the Trax Stingers make noise, damage enemies, and slow them down significantly - allowing Gridlock to finish them off and essentially denying area entry in crucial locations.
Rainbow Six Siege was released in 2015 and is available for play on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.
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