Outbreak is a special event coming soon to Rainbow Six Siege to challenge your Operators with adversaries unlike anything they’ve seen before. From March 6 to April 3, Siege owners with a PS Plus subscription will be able to play Outbreak for free and take on the deadly extraterrestrial parasite wreaking havoc on the populace of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. A sinister array of enemies will test you at every turn across the expansive new levels, so here are some tips straight from the Rainbow Six developers to help you take them on.

Assemble Your Crew

Outbreak is a co-op event for up to three players, and at the start of each match, you’ll have to choose from a select group of Operators with the weapons and gadgets to give you an edge against your enemies. Having an Operator with the ability to revive down-but-not-out teammates is a big help, so consider running Doc for his Stim Pistol, or Finka, the new Operator from Operation Chimera, for her team-buffing Adrenal Surge. Note that shotguns, while generally relied on for their wall-destroying power in competitive play, are very effective against Outbreak foes. And for those of you looking for a good excuse to put Tachanka’s Mounted LMG into play, Outbreak suits this fan-favorite quite nicely.

Don’t Summon the Swarm

There are plenty of times in which hordes of enemies will descend upon you in Outbreak, leaving you with no choice but to go loud, but don’t underestimate the value of keeping things quiet when you can. Equipping a suppressor can help you avoid alerting enemies to your presence, and even explosive Breacher foes can be dispatched quietly with a suppressed headshot. The stealthy approach is even more powerful on Pandemic, Outbreak’s harder difficulty setting, where the enemies are more numerous and friendly fire is enabled.

The Who’s Who of Mutated Abominations

There are five unique enemy types in Outbreak, and each will try to lay their own particular brand of hurt on you. Let’s get acquainted.

Grunt: The most numerous foe by far, Grunts swarm you relentlessly once they are alerted to your presence. Headshots are best, though if you wound them in close quarters, you may see a prompt to execute a quick melee takedown. I suggest you follow this prompt.

Breacher: Long spikes and bright yellow bubbles adorn the backs of these nimble enemies who love nothing more than to get near your or your barricades and explode. Shoot them near other enemies for collateral damage, and if they get close to you, melee them before shooting so you don’t become collateral damage yourself.

Rooter: They burrow underground and pop up all over the place, but they want to trap you in one spot with spiked roots? Talk about a dangerous double standard. Shoot them to release their hold on you before the Grunts close in.

Apex: These spooky floating enemies will hit you from afar with blasts of vision-obscuring goop, but the real threat they pose is the faster, tougher enemies they spawn into the battle. Take them out quickly.

Smasher: This hulking beast is all but invulnerable, and more than happy to clobber you through walls or smash through walls in order to clobber you. Create a crossfire with your team so that while one player runs from it, the others can shoot the weak spot on its back. If you’re feeling daring, shoot it in the face to taunt it into charging you, then step aside quickly, wait for it to run into an obstacle and fall to its knees, then melee it in the weak spot for, you guessed it, massive damage.

The Best Defense is a Good Defense

As you work your way toward uncovering the mysteries of Outbreak and quelling the carnage, you’ll be ordered to defend some objectives against the advancing throngs. Look around for reinforced walls and deploy them to close off your flanks and limit the amount of angles you have to cover. You’ll still need to keep an eye on them, because Breachers can destroy normal and reinforced walls, as well as barricades; look for the telltale yellow bubbles coming through a wall and try to destroy Breachers before they do their thing. Set up barricades at all doors and windows, but melee a hole in them at head height. This will allow you to headshot Grunts without letting them get too close. And if your objective gets swarmed, remember that smoke grenades will temporarily confuse your enemies and stop their attacks, giving you time to clear them out.

Outbreak is coming to Rainbow Six Siege from March 6 to April 3, and special rewards await PlayStation owners who persevere and conquer its toughest challenges. Take these tips, relay them to your squad, and get ready to take on this nefarious new challenge.