Thermite is an attacking operator with the FBI SWAT. He was released on December 1, 2015 as part of the original 20 Rainbow Six Siege operators. This guide covers everything you need to know about Thermite’s gadgets, weapons, synergies, counters and lore, with some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of him.

TEAM – Attacker / ARMOR – 2 / SPEED – 2 / DIFFICULTY – 3

Gadget: Exothermic Charge

Thermite uses a unique breaching charge called the Exothermic Charge. This breaching tool, once placed, has the power to blow through any walls or hatches that the defending team has reinforced. Thermite has 2 Exothermic Charges. They must be planted and detonated one at a time.

Much like a regular breaching charge, it can also be placed on soft walls and barricaded doors and windows. However, its main use is cutting through defenders' wall reinforcements. The Exothermic Charges have a much larger destruction range than regular charges, and using them on breakable floors can open many vertical angles.

The Exothermic Charge has a 3-second delay before detonation, during which it can be destroyed if it takes any damage. During the fuse time, the charge makes a loud, distinct noise and bright sparks can be seen from both sides of the wall.

Thermite Role

Thermite is one of Rainbow Six: Siege's hard breachers along with Hibana and Maverick. Hard breachers are the only operators capable of breaching reinforced walls and opening up lines of sight and entry points that would otherwise be inaccessible. Hard breachers serve a fundamentally important role on attacking teams. He must be used in coordination with teammates to destroy reinforced walls.

His loadout versatility and gadget utility make him a great choice in almost every situation. But depending on which operators the defending team are using, Thermite can sometimes be very reliant on his teammates to help him out. He has a couple of the very important synergies, and the number of counters to be aware of when playing Thermite is higher than most other operators, so teamwork is very important.

Thermite Loadout

The 556xi Assault Rifle is a versatile weapon with a lot of customization options, meaning you can equip it with attachments to suit almost any play style. While it has an average fire rate and low damage, the 556xi is still the wisest choice in most situations. Shotguns are highly situational, especially on attack.

Thermite has the option of either Stun Grenades or a Claymore mine to finish off his loadout. The Claymore is useful for setting traps to protect his flank while he plants his Exothermic Charges.

Thermite Counters

What Thermite Counters

• Defender Reinforcements (Hard Counter): Thermite’s Exothermic Charges are one of the only ways to destroy the reinforced wall and hatches that every defender can place.

Who Counters Thermite

• Mute (Hard Counter): Mute’s Signal Jammers block the communication of nearby devices, and as such prevent Thermite from being able to detonate his charges. The range is limited, but can easily cover between 1-3 reinforced walls, depending on their size.
• Bandit (Hard Counter): Bandit can use his Shock Wire batteries to electrify reinforced walls, preventing Thermite from placing his charge without it being destroyed. Even if the Exothermic detonation phase has begun, Bandit can quickly place a Shock Wire and destroy it if timed correctly – this is known as ‘Bandit Tricking’.

• Kaid (Hard Counter): The Rtila Electroclaw can electrify reinforced walls similar to Bandit’s Shock Wires, but one singular claw can effectively shock multiple walls within its range. Kaid can also electrify reinforced hatches from below. However, the charging time of the Electroclaw makes it very difficult to mimic a ‘Bandit Trick’ approach.
• Maestro (Soft Counter): a well placed Evil Eye camera can spell havoc for Thermite, as one shot from the camera will destroy an Exothermic Charge. When placed outside of an objective, Maestro can defend reinforced walls with little danger to himself. Thermite has no explosives that can destroy Evil Eyes, so he must rely on teammates.
• Mira (Soft Counter): Mira can use her Black Mirrors to see through onto the other side of a reinforced wall, which makes it quite risky to try to breach walls which have a Black Mirror placement. Mira can either open the window to try to kill Thermite or callout his position to a flanking teammate.

Thermite Synergies

• Thatcher: Thatcher is the most useful teammate to pair with Thermite. Thatcher’s EMP Grenade can easily destroy Bandit’s Shock Wires, Mute’s Signal Jammers and Kaid's Electroclaws from a distance, and even through reinforced walls.
• Twitch: Twitch is able to send her Shock Drone into objective sites and use its shock ammo to destory Shock Wires and Signal Jammers.
• Sledge & Buck: Pairing Thermite with a dedicated soft breacher like Sledge or Buck allows Thermite to traverse the map uninhibited by any walls, soft or reinforced.

Advanced Tips & Tricks

As you play Thermite more often, you'll learn some fantastic tricks you can do with his gadgets. Here are a couple of neat ideas which might help you get the most out of him.

No Thatcher? No problem!

You can still blow through small sections of walls which have been electrified by either Bandit or Kaid. As long as the reinforced walls are near a soft, wooden floor, you can use this trick to get the jump on your enemies.

Place your Exothermic Breach charge parallel to the electrified wall, as close as you can safely do so without getting zapped.

Then, go ahead and blow it! You'll notice a long, skinny hole has been blasted through the wall. You cannot crawl through, but it will allow you a sneaky line of sight right into an objective.

Another useful tip for Thermites Exothermic Charge is used to destroy reinforced hatches that have either been electrified by Kaid, or jammed by Mute. Because of the way that reinforced hatches work, any damage done via an Exothermic charge will destroy the entire hatch (this doesn't work for Hibana, unfortunately)!

Simply place your Exothermic Charge on a wall directly above a hatch, and once it detonates, it will take the wall - and the hatch - with it.

Shown here in the pictures is an example of this being done on a hatch jammed by Mute. If the reinforcement has been electrified, you will need to place your Charge on the other side of the wall to avoid being zapped, but with the same great effect.

Thermite Background & Lore

• Real Name: Jordan Trace
• CTU: FBI SWAT
• Birthday: March 14th, 1982
• Place of Birth: Plano, Texas
• Height: 1.78m
• Weight: 80kg

“Trace joined the Marines after high school, serving two tours in Iraq. After his discharge, he used his GI Bill money to put himself through college at Texas A&M and earned a Bachelor Degree of Science in Chemistry. He then joined the FBI. After four years as a field agent, he transferred to FBI SWAT.” – Thermite in-game bio