Quick answer: Martelo is Veronica Cardozo, a new Assault operator arriving with Season Aurora on November 10, 2026. Her kit has four parts: the Ariete shield charge, Smoke Halo, an HE Grenade and the Guerreira trait. Team Jade said in the October 30 Dev Stream that you can unlock her for free through the Season Pass. Cooldowns, damage and shield health aren't published yet, so treat any exact numbers you see today with suspicion.
Key takeaways
- Release date: November 10, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, iOS and Android.
- Role: close-range entry. The devs describe an Assault operator who wants to get close and create an opening for the squad.
- Price: free through the Season Pass. The exact tier hasn't been announced.
- Biggest threat to you: a straight line. Ariete punishes squads standing in one lane.
- Before launch: Team Jade promised full update notes and a season roadmap before Aurora goes live, so more detail should arrive before November 10.
Who is Martelo in Delta Force?
Martelo is the codename of Veronica Cardozo. Team Jade introduced her in the official operator trailer on October 20 with one line: "She came for answers—and her shield knocks down everything in between."
The Season Aurora Developer Preview filled in the rest on October 30. Cardozo grew up in a poor community in South America and spent much of her youth on the streets. She later joined a local special police force as a breacher, known for an impulsive temperament and an aggressive combat style.
A smuggling investigation turned personal when someone close to her, Marcus Alves, was killed. She joined G.T.I. to find the people responsible. The story trailer covers that background. Martelo is Portuguese for "hammer", and the devs leaned into that in the stream: she's the hammer coming down on the people who wronged her.
She is the fifth operator in the Assault class, joining Vyron, D-Wolf, Nox and Tempest. See how the current roster stacks up in our best operators tier list.
What are Martelo's abilities?
Every ability name below comes from the official trailer's on-screen cards and Team Jade's Dev Stream. DayOne's coverage of the announcement lists the same kit: "the Ariete shield charge, Smoke Halo and an HE Grenade", with a "momentum-based Guerreira trait."
| Ability | Type | What it does | Published numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariete | Tactical equipment | Shield charge that rams enemies. Can be stopped early for a shield slam | None yet |
| Smoke Halo | Shoulder-mounted launcher | Tap for a smoke ring around you, or hold to place one smoke canister | None yet |
| HE Grenade | Grenade | High-explosive grenade with a short fuse delay | None yet |
| Guerreira | Trait | Short movement speed and reload speed boost | "Certain threshold" only |
How does Ariete work?
Ariete is the reason to play Martelo. It's a breaching device fitted with a lightweight ballistic shield. The on-screen card reads:
"Equips the shield-type breach ram and charges forward at high speed, striking enemy targets." — Ariete ability card, official Martelo trailer
The Dev Stream added two details that matter in a fight. A direct hit deals damage and can lock the target down for a moment. Martelo can also cut the charge short and slam the shield into the ground, which damages enemies within range.
That second option is what makes her hard to read. As the devs put it in the stream, enemies know she's coming once she commits, but they still have to guess what she does next.
How does Smoke Halo work?
Smoke Halo comes from a shoulder-mounted launcher and has two modes:
- Tap: fires canisters around Martelo to form a hollow ring of smoke. The stream describes this as three consecutive shots.
- Hold: lets you pick a location and send a single canister there, for cover where your squad is heading.
The ring is the unusual part. Most smoke blocks one sightline. A ring should cover you on more than one side, and enemies can't assume the enemy knows which way you'll leave it.
What does the HE Grenade do?
It's the simplest piece of the kit:
"Throws a high-explosive grenade that detonates after a short delay, dealing damage to enemies." — HE Grenade ability card, official Martelo trailer
Use it to clear a corner before a charge, or to punish a squad that has backed into cover to escape one.
What is Guerreira?
Guerreira is Martelo's trait. It's the part of her kit that rewards staying aggressive:
"Upon taking down an enemy, or when health drops below a certain threshold, Martelo gains a temporary boost to movement speed and reload speed." — Guerreira ability card, official Martelo trailer
So it has two triggers. A takedown keeps a push rolling into the next target, and low health gives you a faster way out. Team Jade hasn't published the duration, the boost size or the health threshold.
How do you unlock Martelo in Delta Force?
Team Jade's recap at the end of the stream was direct: Martelo can be unlocked for free through the Season Pass. That matches the last two new operators. N-Two and Rover both came through the free Season Pass track.
What we don't know yet is the tier, or whether a mission line is attached. Those details should appear in the Aurora update notes. Team Jade didn't announce a purchase route in the stream, and you shouldn't need Delta Coins to get her.
The current Reorientation Season Pass ends on November 9, so there's nothing to buy or save for Martelo right now. What you can do is clear the deadlines that run out first:
- November 4, 23:59:59 UTC: the 2nd anniversary limited-time Delta Tickets expire, per the October 28 update post.
- November 9: Season Pass and Halloween events end. Spend your Tactical Armament Vouchers first, because they reset with the season.
How should you play Martelo?
This section is our read of the kit before launch. Aurora isn't live on the global build yet, and the balance could shift, so re-check it against the update notes.
- Charge from an angle your squad can follow. The devs' main advice is to pick the moment: Ariete opens a fight only if your team can move with you. A solo charge into three players is a donation.
- Smoke first, charge second. Hold Smoke Halo to cover the lane, then push through it, or tap for a ring when you need to reposition.
- Use the slam on corners. Cutting the charge short should suit tight interiors, where a full run would carry you past the target.
- Reload on the move. Guerreira's reload boost helps you turn a takedown into the next fight, so swap to your rifle quickly after a ram.
- Test her in Firing Range 2.0. Aurora's new range lets you use operator abilities, switch operators without leaving, and test on friendly and enemy targets. Learn the charge distance there before you risk gear in Operations.
Don't assume one setup works in both modes. Delta Force balances Operations and Warfare separately, and Team Jade didn't give per-mode values for Martelo. In Operations, a failed charge can cost you the unprotected gear you brought in. In Warfare, a failed push only costs a respawn, so she'll likely feel freer there.
Is Martelo worth playing?
Yes for players who like to create the fight, and probably not for anyone who prefers to hold an angle. She looks strong on paper. She is the only operator in the class whose main tool is a shield charge, and the smoke gives her a way out that most entry operators lack.
The risk is that her value depends on your squad. Ariete opens a space, but somebody still has to walk through it, so she should be stronger in a coordinated squad than in random queues. That's a pre-launch verdict, not a tier placement. We'll rank her properly once the numbers are out.
How do you counter Martelo?
The devs gave the counter themselves in the stream: keep your distance where you can, and don't give her a straight run into everyone at once. If her smoke goes up, stay aware of where your teammates are.
In practice, that means:
- Spread out. Two players side by side in a corridor is the best target Ariete can get.
- Fight her from the side. The shield sits in front of her, so a teammate on a flank should have the cleaner shot. Exact shield coverage still needs testing.
- Don't peek a Smoke Halo ring head-on. She can leave it in any direction. Hold an angle on the likely exit instead.
- Punish the commit. Once she charges, she's told you where she's going. Ability cooldowns are unknown, but the moment after a failed charge should be her weakest.
Expect squads to try stacking her. Team Jade said in the stream that same-operator stacking will be curbed across the roster, and Nox is getting that treatment in Aurora. Rover already took one on October 15, when Clover's Operations damage dropped from 20 to 10 with two Clovers and to 7 with three, according to the October 15 balance update. Whether Martelo launches with a similar rule hasn't been stated.
What else arrives with Martelo in Season Aurora?
Martelo lands alongside a large update. The stream confirmed the AN-94 assault rifle, the Warfare map Zenith Port with its Riptide flood event, Brakkesh 2.0, and a limited-time AZ3 Supercritical challenge. The Phantom Blade Zero crossover adds Sanguine, the game's first two-handed melee weapon. Dates and full details are in our Season Aurora guide.
Team Jade also changed its operator plans in the stream. Going forward, there won't necessarily be a new operator every season, so the team can spend more time on balance for the existing roster. Martelo could be the last new face for a while.
FAQ
When does Martelo come out in Delta Force? Martelo arrives with Season Aurora on November 10, 2026. Team Jade hasn't posted the exact launch hour yet. Garena regions run their own calendar, so check your own version's announcements if you play there.
Is Martelo free in Delta Force? Yes. Team Jade said in the October 30 Dev Stream that she can be unlocked for free through the Season Pass. The exact tier hasn't been announced.
What class is Martelo? Martelo is an Assault operator, built for close-range entry with a shield charge, smoke and a grenade.
What does Ariete mean in Delta Force? Ariete is the name of Martelo's shield-type breach ram. She charges with it to hit enemies, or stops early and slams it down. Ariete means "battering ram" in Portuguese.
How much damage does Martelo's shield do? Team Jade hasn't published the damage, cooldown or shield health. Treat any exact figure as unconfirmed until the Aurora update notes are out.
Does Martelo work in both Operations and Warfare? Team Jade presented her as a new Assault operator without limiting her to one mode. It hasn't published separate Operations and Warfare values, though, and those often differ in Delta Force.
This guide applies to Season Aurora, launching November 10, 2026, and was written from the October 30 Dev Stream during Season Reorientation. We'll update it when the patch notes land. For more, browse our Delta Force operator balance breakdown.
