Tips for using Thunderbird’s Kona Station in Rainbow Six Siege Operation North Star

Rainbow Six Siege’s new Operator for Operation North Star is Thunderbird. She’s a new Defender with a powerful gadget that can turn the tide of any round for Defenders, and assist Attackers if it’s used without forethought. This guide covers a few tips for using Thunderbird’s Kona Station, including when and where to use it for both allies and opponents.

Game mode dependent

Our first tip is to pay attention to the type of match being played. For example, if it’s a bomb disposal match in which you’re defending against incoming Attackers, then you need to be placing a Kona Station almost as soon as the first phase starts. Get one near at least one of the bombs so that allies can camp near them and gain a bonus when Attackers come flying in to fill them with bullets.

However, if you’re playing a hostage match, you’ll want to place Kona Stations as the match progresses. So don’t pin yourself down to a single location with healing buffs. Instead, keep one or two Kona Stations in reserve to place them later on when new choke points emerge in a match.

Look for cover

When placing a Kona Station, you need to look for areas that are advantageous to Defenders more than Attackers. For example, if Defenders have easy access to some nearby cover, make sure that cover is within a Kona Station radius. It’ll mean that your friends are healed when they’re covering doors and windows, something Attackers won’t be prepared for.

Use the initial phase of a match to scout out where your Kona Stations should be deployed. Most players will set up a few barricades and wire and then hunker down in their tried and tested spots. Capture as many players in a Kona Station radius as you can in this brief early phase, and the match will probably go your way, even if the Attackers are hyper-aggressive.

Think like an Attacker

Unfortunately, Attackers can benefit from Kona Stations as much as Defenders can. The device will always heal a Defender first, but it’ll heal an Attacker if there are none around. This means that your enemy will be looking for Kona Stations as they run through a map. By thinking like one of them, you’ll be able to avoid placing a Kona Station where it’s easy for Attackers to steal it.

Make sure you only deploy the gadget in areas that Defenders have authority over. Any room with two or more of you in is perfect since Attackers will have to work extremely hard to take a room from Defenders, whereas Defenders don’t need to work as hard to maintain control over a room.

Be aware of the timer

Kona Stations have a timer on them. Once they’ve healed someone, they can’t be used for another 30 seconds or so. If a Kona Station is in an area with a lot of footfall, it will be beneficial, but players will also need to organize who gets the next use of it and ensure they avoid triggering it if it’s not their turn. Instead, try to place Kona Stations just outside of well-trodden areas. By doing this, you’ll ensure that players can pop in and out as and when they need healing instead of triggering the device without thinking about it.