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"Remember, I take the doors."
— Sledge

Seamus "Sledge" Cowden is an Attacking Operator featured in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile.

Biography[]

"Stay focus lads, get your heads in the game."
— Sledge

Born in the far north of Scotland, Cowden's military father and nurse mother moved to Inverness with him and his three siblings when he was five. His athleticism elevated him to the position of Captain of the 1998 Scotland National under-20 Rugby Union Team. Following a long family tradition of military service, Cowden joined the 3rd UK Mechanised Division of the British Army at age 18. His drive and physique suit the divisions' historical nickname of "Iron Sides." Cowden's first assignment was in the Armored Division where he studied engineering and specialized in upgrading the infantry combat vehicles. From there, he developed various breaching tactics. After five years of active duty, he was recruited into the SAS, where he holds multiple records in speed and strength. An expert in mechanical, ballistic, explosive and thermal breaching strategies, Cowden was recruited into Rainbow in 2015. He is the operator to choose for quick and relatively silent destruction.[1]

In early 2023, after being placed on the specialized squad Redhammer, Cowden took part in a joint operation between Redhammer and Ghosteyes to recover stolen Nighthaven weaponry from an unknown group. However, this was quickly discovered to be a trap set by former Rainbow operative Deimos, who sought to eliminate all members of Rainbow. A bomb was detonated within the compound, injuring Cowden and his teammates, leaving him with two broken ribs, a fractured wrist and some shrapnel stuck in his left leg, but quickly recovered from his injuries.

Psychological Profile:[]

Cowden displays natural leadership qualities, likely developed during his amateur sports career. His comfort on the front line can be attributed to his confidence and tactical experience.

Psychological Report[]

It's part of my job to understand where the country shapes the person and Specialist Seamus "Sledge" Cowden seems indelibly shaped by the rugged terrain where he was born. It isn't just his imposing presence and athleticism. I can't help but feel that his personality evokes the wilderness as well. He's stoic and proud, though he admits that he can be hot-headed at times. Field reports describe his courage, leadership, and extensive operational experience as much as they mention his unpredictability. He's much more than a "gentle giant as some suggest. […]

Cowden is something of a raconteur, and for much of our discussion, he told me one rowdy tale after another. When he was twelve he cobbled a hang glider together out of boat sails and launched himself off his house. He broke both ankles. During military training, he accidently collapsed his entire sleeping barrack while testing a new breaching technique, and another time he sank a captain's motorcycle by riding it off the pier because he wanted to see how far it would travel on the surface - not far, I gather. His stories aren't just to entertain. They help to establish a comfortable connection. It's such a casual, offhand leadership style. […]

Cowden views his fellow operators as family, Specialist Mike "Thatcher" Baker in particular, who he credits for convincing him to switch to the Caber. Numerous Rainbow operators refer to Sledge as one of the easiest operators to work with. […]

Overall, Cowden is easy-going and unpretentious, though he get ruffled at the mention of politics. A self-proclaimed news junkie, he doesn't shy away from debates. In fact, it's the reason he joined the military, and why one of his brother is currently an elected MP. Cowden understands that while on assignment Rainbow operators don't voice their political opinions and so far there hasn't been any issues. We should trust that he can control his hot-headedness. At least before he's down at the pub.

- Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey, Director of Rainbow[2]

Gameplay Description[]

A Heavy Health Operator, Sledge wields a specialized Tactical Breaching Hammer, known as "The Caber", which can breach through almost all non-reinforced surfaces and barricades with relative silence. Because of this, Sledge is able to bust through walls, floors, and barricades with a silent yet aggressive pace.

  • The Breaching Hammer creates a rectangular hole on surfaces it strikes.
  • The Breaching Hammer has a limited durability of twenty-five charges, shown by a bar above the hammer's gadget icon. Breaching a wall consumes two charges while breaching a barricade and hitting anything else (including flooring) takes one. Environmental props count as one hit.
  • The Hammer can't break through non-destructible surfaces or a Reinforced Wall - attempting to do so will only consume durability.
  • Sledge's breaching hammer is capable of killing enemies in one hit, which counts as 2 charges.
  • Like other gadgets in the game, Sledge takes a moment to unequip his hammer after using it. This half second delay will leave him vulnerable, but only for a short period.
  • The Breaching Hammer needs to be fairly close to a wall in order to destroy both sides of the wall. Roughly within a 1 meter distance. If not, the Hammer will only break the external surface, leaving the internal one intact. This necessitates a second swing, delaying breach and wasting the Breaching Hammer's durability.
    • This also applies to floors, as Sledge needs to be a fair amount close to destroy both sides of the floor.

Synergies[]

  • Sledge works well with Operators that also specialize in breaching. In Sledge's case, he is the quietest of such Operators and the most efficient.
  • Ash, Buck, Zofia, and Flores allow for breaching from a much safer distance than Sledge's Breaching Hammer, but are much louder than his Breaches.
  • Thermite, Hibana, and Ace are capable of breaching through Reinforced Walls and Hatches. In Hibana's case, she can do it from a distance and at multiple places. Maverick, while he's also capable of making such an opening, is better off making lines of sight through those walls to cover Sledge if he's breaching from a different angle.
  • Thatcher can destroy devices with his EMP grenades, allowing Sledge to focus on breaching the objective. This also applies to other Operators like Twitch, Kali, Zero, and Flores.
  • Sledge works well with mid to long-range Operators, so Operators such as Glaz can aid him from afar.
  • IQ can detect electronic objects, guiding Sledge on which gadgets to destroy if he breaches a wall.
  • Sledge works well with Montagne and Blitz, as Sledge can quickly create entrances that Montagne and Blitz can take advantage of and push through.

Counter[]

  • Pulse can detect Sledge through his Cardiac Sensor like everyone else, giving his position away for other Defenders to take advantage of.
  • Goyo can place his Volcán canisters on barricades and other soft surfaces to catch an unsuspecting Sledge by surprise and set him on fire.

Device Description[]

"Uses a Breaching Hammer to breach through destructible surfaces."
— Tactical Breaching Hammer "The Caber" Description

While breaching hammers are nothing new to CTU or law enforcement operations, “The Caber” is unique due to its exceptional size and weight. Such dimensions would be impractical in the hands of most agents but Sledge’s exceptional physical prowess make it a formidable presence on the battlefield, allowing for quick and effective breaches.

Sledge’s breaching hammer was directly inspired by CTU battering rams. There are four kinds of breaching tools: mechanical, ballistic, explosive and thermal. Using sledgehammers or other blunt objects to breach is known as mechanical breaching, and often serves as a relatively quiet supplement compared to the other, more attention-grabbing methods. Mechanical breaching was used during the Iranian Embassy Siege to gain access to rooms and is still used in modern-day conflicts in tight urban zones where ballistic or explosive breaching methods carry more risk.

Device Evaluation[]

Device: Tactical Breaching Hammer "The Caber"
Operator: Specialist Seamus "Sledge" Cowden
Evaluation Lead: Specialist Seamus "Sledge" Cowden

I'm told you wanted to have a looksee at my Brucie. Why? No offense, Mira, but I don't need someone mucking about with my Caber, trying to make it look sexier. When Mike's uncle built it for me (sorry... Specialist bloody Mike "Thatcher" bloody Baker), he damn well made me forge the thing over and over again until we got it right. It's a solid piece, no forge weld to introduce weak points. It's made with a differential heat treatment to better transmit the shock of blows along the core and the shaft is covered in fiberglass molded to my handspan for better grip. It's a solid 4140 steal, built for shock and stress, balanced to prevent it from being too top heavy. I don't need laser sights put on the damn thing, and I can promise you that if any of your techies come near Brucie, as the saying goes, "it will kill."

- Specialist Seamus "Bloody Sledge" Cowden

Quotes[]

Sledge's Quotes
Spawning
  • "Couldn't agree more."
  • "Get your heads in the game."
  • "Let's take them fast and clean."
  • "Remember, I take the doors."
  • "Stay focused lads."
  • "The hunt is on."
  • "Who needs explosives?"
Throwing Frag Grenade
  • "Frag Grenade!"
  • "Frag Grenade out."
  • "Throwing Frag Grenade!"
Throwing Stun Grenade
  • "Tossing concussion grenade."
  • "Tossing flashbang!"
Deploying Drone
  • "Drone, spinning up."
Reloading
  • "Cover me, reloading!"
Reviving
  • "On your feet, lad."
Friendly Fire
  • "Cease fire! Cease fire!"
  • "Friendly! Cease fire!"
Getting Hostage
  • "Come now, with me."
  • "Do as I say, when I say it."
  • "Extracting package."
  • "I have the package."
  • "Package secured."
  • "Securing package."
  • "You're coming with me!"
  • "We're on the move, stay close."
Moving Hostage
  • "Come on, stay close!"
  • "Follow me!"
  • "Follow my lead!"
  • "Get going, quickly!"
  • "Get moving."
  • "Get moving, double time!"
  • "Go, go, go!"
  • "Keep up!"
  • "Move."
  • "Move! Move!"
  • "Move out, on the double."
  • "Move, quickly."
  • "Over there."
  • "Stick close to me!"
  • "Run, now!"
  • "With me!"
Dropping Hostage
  • "Do 'not' move from this spot."
  • "Don't move from this spot."
  • "Don't move from this spot. Understand?"
  • "Keep your head down and stay still!"
  • "Stay here and stay alert!"
  • "Stay right here."
  • "Stay right here, don't move!"
  • "Stay where you are, don't budge."
  • "Stick to this spot, don't budge."
  • "Stop and freeze!"

Trivia[]

  • His Training Includes:
    • British Army: 1st (UK) Armored Division
    • HND in Automotive Engineering
    • 22nd Engineer Regiment RE[3]
  • His Relevant Experience Includes:
    • British Army: 3rd (UK) Mechanized Division
    • Operation Telic
    • Operation Herrick[4]
  • The in-game bio of Seamus Cowden can be seen for a quick moment in 1:15 of the White Masks Reveal trailer at E3 2015.
  • On Sledge's character model, there is a tartan on the right of his lower leg. The same tartan pattern can be seen wrapped on The Caber. Both either resemble or actually is the tartan of Clan Stewart.
  • The Breaching Hammer's name, "The Caber", refers to a type of roughly trimmed tree trunk used in the Scottish Highland sport of "tossing the caber", which involves holding the tree trunk upright, running forward and then tossing it so that it lands on the opposite end.
  • The alternate used when Sledge is equipped with his L Detachment Uniform is a traditional Scottish hammer used in the Scottish hammer throw competition of the Highland games.
  • He is an expert in mechanical, ballistic, explosive and thermal breaching strategies.
  • Sledge is wearing a dual-filter gas mask but has no filter. In reality, this would cause him to suffocate.
  • His birthdate is a reference to the Falklands War, which began on the same day.
  • Sledge's face is revealed in the Tournament of Champions as they were interviewed by Harry.
  • Sledge's date of birth was originally stated in-game as 1982, however this has since been removed.[5]
  • He is the tallest attacking operator in the game. Fellow attacker Amaru is the tallest female operator at 6'2 (1.89m)
  • Sledge appears in the Epic Breach event in the mobile game The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. His outfit and Caber can be obtained through gameplay.

Gallery[]

Customization[]

Main articles: Sledge/Headgear and Sledge/Uniforms

Concept Art[]

Models[]

The Elite[]

Stills[]

Icons[]

Videos[]

Patch Changes[]


References[]

  1. Sledge's In-game BIO > BACKGROUND section
  2. Sledge's In-game BIO > PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE section
  3. Sledge's In-game BIO > TRAINING section
  4. Sledge's In-game BIO > RELEVANT EXPERIENCE section
  5. Sledge's In-game BIO (Pre-Patch 3.1.2)
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