Smoke

Smoke is a defending operator with the SAS. 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 Smoke’s gadgets, weapons, synergies and counters, with tips, tricks and lore, to help you get the most out of him.

TEAM – Defender / ARMOR – 2 / SPEED – 2 / DIFFICULTY – 2

Gadget: Remote Gas Grenade

Smoke’s unique gadget is a Remote Gas Grenade, a tool which can be placed or thrown, and must be detonated manually. Smoke it equipped with 3 Remote Gas Grenades. The Gas Grenade expels a thick yellow smoke, which damages any operator—friend or foe—who steps into it. The damage output of the Gas Grenade is relatively low, but it is constant for the duration the operator is exposed to the gas, and as such it can add up to be quite devastating. Smoke himself is the only operator who doesn’t take damage from his gadget.

The Gas Grenade is a thrown object, but it is lightweight and can be thrown much greater distances than a Nitro Cell, sharing an arc more similar to an Impact Grenade. However, the canister is sticky and will stick to any map surface. It does not stick to operators; if thrown at a regular operator it will damage them slightly and fall to the ground, and if thrown at a shield operator it will bounce off the shield and stick to a nearby surface.

The Gas Grenades can be used as a trap, by placing it strategically in an area anticipating activity, or be help onto the thrown directly at enemies during a firefight. The canister is completely silent when placed, unlike other thrown gadgets, but it is easily identifiable and will be destroyed if it takes any damage.

Smoke can only place one canister down at a time, but can throw and detonate subsequent Gas Grenades while the first is still active after detonation. Smoke can damage and kill the hostage with his gadget, so must be careful of placement when playing the Hostage mode.

Smoke Role

Smoke can be played in a few ways, and while he can operate effectively as both a roamer or an anchor, his utility is best used for objective defense. The damaging gas will last for about 10 seconds after detonation, so you can block doorways or herd enemies into a particular entrance for a short time.

In the Secure mode, using Smoke to anchor in the objective and play the long game is a very effective strategy. Towards the end of the round, as the time starts to run out, Smoke can begin to preemptively block entrances by detonating his grenades in doorways. The attacking team will be forced to either stand back until it clears, find another entrance or rush through the gas and be dealt with a hefty blow.

Smoke is a very important operator to have on the defending team during a match of Bomb, too. Most bomb objective sites have common planting locations or entry points, which Smoke can defend and safely deny from a distance with his gadget. Shield operators who are either planting the defuser or defending it once planted can be taken out or forced to retreat from a well placed Gas Grenade.

As well as damaging the enemy, the thick yellow gas also acts like a traditional gas grenade, in that it can be used to block lines of sight. A quick Gas Grenade onto the defuser, and Smoke himself can run up and disarm the objective while hidden and safe from close range combat.

The gas canisters can be detonated almost immediately after being thrown, similar to a Nitro Cell. This allows Smoke the ability to use his tool as an aggressive maneuver during a firefight, opposed to just a defensive weapon. As he doesn’t take damage from the gas, he can detonate the grenade while in close with an enemy and have a winning advantage during fight.

Whenever you’re using a Gas Grenade, make sure to communicate with your team if they’re nearby, so they don’t end up taking a hit from the gas themselves.

Smoke Loadout

*Suppressor's dampen a weapons sound at the cost of reduced damage.

The FMG-9 is a simple, easy to use submachine gun and is a safe bet for most scenarios. However as one of the few operators who can use a machine pistol as a secondary weapon, combining the SMG-11 with Smokes primary Shotgun—the M590A1—can offer superior utility and situational advantage.

Being able to quickly flank enemies, roam and open hatches makes the shotgun a valuable tool, and SMG-11 when used sparingly can help close the gap if fighting at long range. While the SMG-11’s recoil is extremely difficult to control, its fire rate and damage can quickly kill any operator if it lands just a few key hits. The addition of an Extended Barrel onto the SMG can offer further positional options, but it won’t help your recoil control.

The M590A1 is a slow-firing pump action shotgun, but it is powerful and has better range than some of the other defending teams shotguns.

Smokes loadout is complete with either Impact Grenades or Barbed Wires. The Grenades are a good choice if you are not using the shotgun, as they will allow you to open new lines of sight or hatches that you otherwise might not be able to.

Smoke Counters

Who Smoke Counters

• Finka (Soft Counter): any operator that is buffed with Finka’s Nanobot Shot will take significantly increased damage from the Gas Grenades for the duration of the buff.
• Shield Operators (Soft Counter): shields will block most damage from the front of the operator, but Smokes Gas Grenades create an area effect which cannot be blocked or lessened by a shield. This is particularly useful for Bomb objectives where shields are most important.

Who Counters Smoke

• Thatcher (Soft Counter): Thatcher’s EMP grenades will destroy any Gas Grenade which has been placed, but not yet detonated.
• Twitch (Soft Counter): Shock Drones will destroy a gas grenade with one zap from a safe distance.
• IQ (Soft Counter): Gas Grenades will show up on IQ’s scanner, allowing her to see and destroy them easily before detonation.

Smoke Synergies

• Defenders with Barbed Wire: the pairing of Smokes Gas Grenades with well-placed Barbed Wires can spell doom for attacking operators. Because of the gas dealing damage over time, attackers stuck in barbed wire will have much less opportunity to retreat.
• Frost: enemies caught in Welcome Mats can be quickly finished off with a Gas Grenade. You can also bait the DBNO enemy who’s in the trap, and use the gas as an ally tries to revive them, if safe to do so.

Smoke Background & Lore

• Real Name: James Porter
• CTU: SAS
• Birthday: May 14, 1981
• Place of Birth: London, England
• Height: 1.73m
• Weight: 70kg

“Porter was not an academic, although in secondary school, he excelled in science. He took a particular interest in biology and the unit on dissection. During his gap year, Porter enlisted in the British Army, using a fake ID to circumvent parental consent.” – Smoke in-game bio